AUCKLAND – Thai Airways Junior All Whites coach Stu Jacobs is relying on the experience of his newly-announced 20-strong squad to get them through short and sharp Oceania U-20 World Cup qualifiers campaign in Tahiti later this month.

Jacobs has largely drawn his squad from the New Zealand Football Championship although Wellington Phoenix pair Costa Barbarouses and Greg Draper, and 16-year-old West Brom academy striker Chris Wood are notable exceptions.

Australia-based goalkeeper Rhyss Keane (Manly United) and former Auckland City striker John Niyonsaba (North Carolina University) are the other players drawn from outside the national league.

New Zealand play Fiji, Tahiti and New Caledonia in the space of five days beginning December 14 (NZ time), with a place in the 24 team FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009 up for grabs.

But after close wins over all three nations in an Auckland-based qualifying series for the 2007 U-20 World Cup in Canada, Jacobs is understandably weary of slip-ups.

“You saw that even with the All Whites when they couldn’t take their best squad – that the Oceania nations are capable of upsets,” Jacobs said.

“And I guess the draw is geared up for an upset with all our games at 4pm and the others at 6.30.”

However Jacobs was taking more big-game experience into these set of qualifiers with a squad that contains two Olympians, two recently-capped All Whites, three veterans from the 2007 U-20 World Cup and six graduates from the 2007 U-17 World Cup.

“That experience is money in the bank”

“Those are the players you’re relying when you hit rough patches in a match, and there will be rough patches over there. They drive the team forward and have enough experience to pull the team out.”

While the attacking mainstays of the U-20 class of 2007 graduated to the Jacobs-coached Oly-Whites and – in two cases the All Whites – the Wellington-based coach says the current crop measures up favourably.

“Last year we had Jeremy Brockie, Craig Henderson and Greg Draper, but in this group with Niyonsaba, Draper, Barbarouses and Wood plus any one of five or six contributing from midfield we’re arguably in even better shape.”

“In defence we’ve got Finn Milne, Tim Myers, Sam Campbell and Ian Hogg all playing regularly in the NZFC so we’re looking reasonably good in that department as well but I still need to get my head around the shape of the midfield and who we use there.”

Waitakere supply four players to the squad with two – Tim Myers and Ian Hogg – facing a tough decision over which World Cup to aim for.

After playing for their club in NZFC and O-League this season, the pair were in contention for places in Waitakere’s FIFA Club World Cup squad but instead elected to help the Junior All Whites qualify for Egypt.

“I guess it’s a tough call for them, and there’s an element of deciding which event could have the biggest impact on their future. If they get on the field in Japan they might get seen but equally if they in Egypt next year there’ll be opportunities as well.

“But the two players are committed to New Zealand and Waitakere have been very open and supportive throughout.”

The squad assembles in Auckland on Monday for a five-day camp, departing for Tahiti on Friday 12 December.

Eleven of the 24 spots for Egypt next September have already been filled with UAE, Australia, Korea Republic and Uzbekistan qualifying from Asia and Czech Republic, England, Spain, Germany, Italy, Hungary and Spain representing Europe.

Africa will supply four more teams to join the hosts, while North and Central America will send four teams and South America five.

Thai Airways Junior All Whites Squad for OFC U-20 World Cup Qualifiers – Dec 14-18

Goalkeepers:

Jake GLEESON (Team Wellington)

Rhyss KEANE (Manly United – Australia)

Defenders:

Sam CAMPBELL (Auckland City)

Ian HOGG (Waitakere United)

Finlay MILNE (YoungHeart Manawatu)

Tim MYERS (Waitakere United)

Ash SOLLY (Waitakere United)

Jonathan RAJ (Auckland City)

Midfielders:

Alex BARLOW (Hawke’s Bay United)

Sam BLACKBURN (Team Wellington)

Cory CHETTLEBURGH (YoungHeart Manawatu)

Michael EAGER (Team Wellington)

Jacob MATHEWS (Waitakere United)

Adam McGEORGE (Auckland City)

Michael PICKERING (Team Wellington)

Nick KEOWN-ROBSON (Waikato FC)

Forwards:

Costa BARBAROUSES (Wellington Phoenix)

Greg DRAPER (Wellington Phoenix)

John NIYONSABA (North Carolina University – USA)

Chris WOOD (West Bromwich Albion – UK)

Staff: Stu Jacobs (Coach), Sean Douglas (Assistant Coach), Jonathan Gould (GK Coach), Jim Hogg (Manager), Andrew Imrie (Physio), Andy Smith (Sports Science)

Notes:

All Whites: Greg Draper and Costa Barbarouses

Olympians: Draper and Ian Hogg

FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007: Draper, Hogg and Rhyss Keane.

FIFA U-17 World Cup Korea 2007: Barbarouses, Jake Gleeson, Tim Myers, Jacob Mathews, Cory Chettleburgh, and Chris Wood.

OFC U-20 Championship Tahiti 2008 Draw

Sunday 14 December, Stade Paea

New Zealand vs Fiji, (5pm NZT)

Tahiti vs New Caledonia, (7.30pm NZT)

Tuesday 16 December, Stade Mahina

New Zealand vs Tahiti (5pm NZT)

New Caledonia vs Fiji (7.30pm NZT)

Thursday 18 December, Stade Puurai

New Caledonia vs New Zealand, (5pm NZT)

Fiji vs Tahiti, (7.30pm NZT)

Story provided by NZF Media. For more visit www.nzsoccer.com