Defender Tommy Smith is set to make his first international appearance for New Zealand overnight when the All Whites take on Mexico in a friendly in California. Smith, who is currently on loan at Brentford, is set to start at the centre of the New Zealand defence with Blackburn’s Ryan Nelsen out injured.
Macclesfield-born Smith recently committed to playing for New Zealand, the country where he lived between the ages of eight and 16, having previously played for England’s U17s. He will become the first Town player to appear for the All Whites.
The 19-year-old, who is likely to face former Blues loanee Giovani Dos Santos at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, appears all but certain to be included in coach Ricki Herbert’s squad for the World Cup in South Africa this summer.
Herbert says he is using the match to assess newcomers to the squad like Smith: "It's a massive game. It's a tough one for the players but a good one.
"We've brought some players in we need to look at, and we can use six substitutes including a goalkeeper for this match, so we may have to use all of those."
The New Zealand boss is hoping the game will give his players a taste of what life will be like in South Africa in the summer: "The Rose Bowl is steeped in history - it's hosted a World Cup final. "There's talk of over 70,000 people being there, so it should be a good place to be."
Elsewhere, midfielder Owen Garvan will wear the captain’s armband and win his 15th Irish U21 international cap as his side take on Armenia in a European Championship qualifier in Dublin this evening.
Striker David Healy will be looking to add to his record 35 goals in 78 games when Northern Ireland take on Albania in a friendly in Tirana this evening - if the game goes ahead. Heavy rain in the Albanian capital means the match has a 50/50 chance of being postponed.
Town defender Gareth McAuley dropped out of the squad earlier in the week due to a groin injury.
Keeper Brian Murphy remained on the bench last night as the Republic of Ireland lost 2-0 to Brazil at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Murphy is still to win his first full cap.