Town defender Tommy Smith and New Zealand play their second World Cup group game against Italy in Nelspruit this afternoon (KO 3pm). The All Whites would pull of one of the tournament’s biggest shocks by grabbing even a draw against the World Cup holders.
Smith says his side, who drew 1-1 in their opening fixture against Slovakia, are under no pressure: "We've got nothing to lose and no one's expecting anything from us.
"We are just going out there to prove to ourselves that we can cope with the best teams in the world.
"Growing up as a lad, you want to play the Italians and the Brazilians and test yourself against them, so it's a dream come true, for me and all the lads."
Coach Ricki Herbert has named an unchanged side with the Town youngster set to start on the left of a back three.
Smith says he’s well aware of the football fever currently gripping New Zealand: "My sister and my brother live out there and they tell me about all the hype. It sounds pretty amazing. I would like to be involved in that, but instead I'm here playing!"
The 20-year-old admits that he didn’t anticipate winning a place in the New Zealand side as quickly as he did: "Obviously I didn't expect to be starting when I first came into the squad.
"I'm a young lad, but playing in the friendlies has given me the confidence that I can play at this level.
"Playing in the Championship you have no time on the ball — it's all hustle and bustle. Part of my game is to get on the ball and pass it, so international football suits me a lot better."
The Macclesfield-born defender says he has benefited from playing alongside All Whites skipper Ryan Nelsen: "He gives you little tips throughout the games and during training. He has a lot of experience he can pass on to me and, as a young lad, I don't mind him telling me what to do. He's probably right and I'm probably wrong."
New Zealand complete their Group F matches against Paraguay in Polokwane on Thursday. The group is currently all-square with each of the two games finishing 1-1.
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New Zealand: 1-Mark Paston, 3-Tony Lochhead, 4-Winston Reid, 5-Ivan Viceleich, 6-Ryan Nelsen (captain), 7 Simon Elliott, 9-Shane Smeltz, 10-Chris Killen, 11-Leo Bertos, 14-Rory Fallon, 19-Tommy Smith. Subs: 2-Ben Sigmund, 8-Tim Brown, 13-Andy Barron, 15-Michael McGlinchey, 16-Aaron Clapham, 17-David Mulligan, 18-Andrew Boyens, 20-Chris Wood, 21-Jeremy Christie, 22-Jeremy Brockie, 23-James Bannatyne.