Soccer: Elliott confident he can still contribute to All Whites

Simon Elliott, right, celebrates with Ryan Nelsen. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Simon Elliott immediately turned to the crowd at halftime and gesticulated at them to keep cheering.

When Michael McGlinchey was substituted midway through the second half, Elliott was first to hand him a jacket and drink.

It was not the sort of role Elliott had envisaged against Bahrain, he would have preferred to be out on the park, but the football gods don't care about the timing of injuries.

The 35-year-old picked up a hip injury with "the last kick of the last training" with his San Jose Earthquakes before flying to Wellington for the build-up to the second leg of their playoff.

He had been hopeful right up until a couple of days before the game he would be all right. He wasn't.

"These things happen," Elliott says pragmatically from his San Jose home. "Injuries are part of the game. It was disappointing in one sense because I didn't miss a day of training [with San Jose] all year and then this happened.

"We felt up until Wednesday that I was in with a chance and it was getting stronger by the day but then I tweaked it again on the Thursday [at training].

"On the Friday night, I tried to sprint but couldn't do more than 10 yards. You're being very selfish if you go out there and play for five minutes and, the first time you really have to kick a ball in anger or sprint, it goes. "

Elliott says age is irrelevant, citing a quote about perception being reality when it comes to years. He also makes the point that no one thinks 17-year-old Chris Wood is too young - and human nature means comment is passed more often on older players than younger.

However, last Saturday night could have been his last as an All White. If New Zealand had failed to qualify for the World Cup, next year's international programme would have been as barren as a desert and whoever was All Whites coach might have opted to select a more youthful squad.

It could have been the end of a 66-game international career that stretches back to 1994, when he first played for New Zealand against a Southern Region team.

"Everyone says, 'at your age'," he offers. "I've heard that a lot lately. I don't feel like I can't do it any more. I feel I can still be competitive at that level and do the things required to be a part of the team."

He will, barring injury, be part of the 23-man squad that travels to South Africa in June. Coach Ricki Herbert has already indicated the 18 involved in Wellington will retain their places and that goalkeeper Glen Moss, suspended for the Bahrain games and the first two matches at the World Cup, will also be picked.

Elliott offers experience and composure on the ball and was one of New Zealand's best at the Confederations Cup. There have been many who believe he plays too laterally, or even backwards, but the key element is that he wants the ball.

The All Whites haven't had too many midfielders like that in recent times.

McGlinchey has emerged as an exciting talent. The Wellington-born former Scottish youth international played a significant role in both legs against Bahrain and could be a feature of All Whites teams for some time.

Elliott was on the bench in Wellington, all kitted up, even though he had no chance of playing. Herbert could have opted to bring someone else into the match 18, such as Costa Barbarouses, which would have relegated Elliott to the stands.

"It felt OK," Elliott says about watching rather than playing, "because I knew I couldn't play. I was just trying to be a good team guy."