Demanding double for Dragons
Rest easy Canterbury United fans: midfielders Aaron Clapham and Cole Peverley will play for New Zealand A against Saudi Arabia in Melbourne this evening, but they’re not deserting the Dragons at derby time.
The pair have been added as over-age players to the New Zealand under-23 team which lost 3-0 to the Saudis in Melbourne on Monday.
Clapham, 25, said they were looking forward to playing international football again but were also eager to help Canterbury win the ASB premiership clash with Otago at English Park on Sunday.
‘‘We play on Friday night then we get the plane home on Saturday morning and get ready to help the boys against Otago.’’
New Zealand under-23 coach Neil Emblen planned to bolster his young squad with four over-age players – hence the New Zealand name tag. But All Whites Ivan Vicelich and David Mulligan had to pull out when the Saudi game was shifted because Auckland City wanted them back early for the club’s national league game on Sunday.
The Saudis are in Melbourne to prepare for Wednesday’s Asian group World Cup qualifier against Australia.
‘‘We got to watch the game on Monday night and the Saudis are a very good side. They play with good movement, are very comfortable on the ball and have a short passing game. They have a very fluid midfield. It’s going to be a big challenge.’’
Clapham said the Saudis would be taking the game seriously because it was vital to their World Cup tie buildup.
The Canterbury skipper was ‘‘disappointed to miss out’’ on the All Whites squad to play Jamaica next week with national coach Ricki Herbert selecting a squad of overseas-based professionals and A-league regulars.
The Saudis are ranked 89th in the world – the All Whites are 120th and the Socceroos 24th – and are coached by former Dutch great Frank Rijkaard.
Their players are largely based in the rich Saudi national league except for striker Yasser Al-qahtani, who plays in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates.
Clapham will be conscious he and Peverley have a responsibility to lead the team as the most experienced players. He said it had not been difficult fitting into the squad because many of his team-mates ‘‘play for clubs in the ASB premiership so I know quite a lot of them. There’s some good talented young players coming through.’’
While helping New Zealand A get a result is his main goal, Clapham, who has made no secret of his desire to play professionally, is also aware the game could be an opportunity to impress scouts.
‘‘There’s going to be people around; there’s a couple of A-league teams in Melbourne and when me and Peverley were sitting in the stands on Monday night, [Melbourne Victory assistant coach] Kevin Muscat was a couple of rows away from us.’’
But there is no chance of the Canterbury duo being distracted from their Sunday assignment.
‘We’ve been playing very well as a team and we want to hold on to that second place and get into the O-league,’’ Clapham said.
Canterbury’s run-in will be tight, with Auckland seven points ahead of Canterbury after 11 rounds. But Waitakere trail the Dragons by one point with Team Wellington a further point behind.