The battle veteran All Whites midfield Simon Elliot faces is not whether he'll make the starting lineup for the football qualifier against Bahrain but whether he's fit enough to take a place on the subs bench.
Elliot's been nursing a hip injury all week and has only taken a limited part in training, with Michael McGlinchey running in his midfield spot.
Coach Ricki Herbert says Elliott is desperate to play but they won't make a call until after training tonight.
He hinted the issue for Elliott was more about making the reserves bench, indicating he wasn't fit enough to make the starting lineup.
