25 May 2010

Hard work in training will make All Whites go the distance

11:43 am on 25 May 2010

The New Zealand footballers are confident that with some hard work in training, they'll be able to go the distance in the rest of their World Cup warm-up matches.

The All Whites lost 2-1 to Australia in the dying moments of their friendly match in Melbourne on Monday night.

Midfielder Simon Elliott says the side wasn't able to go the distance against the Socceroos, but the team plans to change that when they meet Serbia this weekend.

Elliott, who had an outstanding game and even impressed in the air - not usually a forte - says they just have to get to work on the training pitch.

He says they played well for 60 or 70 minutes and they need to be able to work for the full 90.

The longer they're in camp together, the better they'll get as a group and the more they'll be able to play games for 90 minutes and beyond.

The All Whites play Serbia in Austria early on Sunday morning.