Foreign legion joins Joeys

Friday, 20 July 2012 16:11

Sydney: Six England-based players have been called up for a four-nation friendly tournament in Saudi Arabia as Australia continues preparations for September's 2012 AFC U-16 Championship in Iran. Kevin Ly (Burnley), George Mells (Southampton), Ross Millard, Taylor Tombides (both West Ham United), Conor O'Neill (Middlesbrough) and Hyuga Tanner (Blackburn Rovers) have been selected for the Saudi Arabia U16 International Friendly tournament which will be played in Taif from August 3 to 7, with the remainder of the squad drawn from the AIS, State Institutes and Premier Youth League clubs. "This invitation to play in Saudi Arabia is another important step in the development process of the team with another three quality matches to play", said Joeys' head coach Alistair Edwards. "There are exciting times ahead as shortly after this tournament we will travel to Bolivia for another camp and I couldn't be happier with the way our preparations are progressing and the way the boys are gelling as a group both on and off the park. "This is also the first time that the overseas players will join up with the squad and it will be interesting to see how they have developed since the last time we saw them play at their respective clubs in May. "From the squad that travelled to Laos, Tony (Vidmar) and I have included eight new players, the available talent pool is very encouraging and these games will provide an opportunity to see how well the overseas based players can integrate into our established team ethos. "There is such healthy competition amongst this group at the moment and we are all really looking forward to the opportunities and challenges over next few months," concluded Edwards. The Joeys will face the host nation Saudi Arabia in their first match of the tournament on Friday August 3, then Morocco two days later before meeting China in their last match on Tuesday, August 7. Two weeks after the Saudi Arabia international friendly tournament, the Joeys will head to South America for an altitude training camp in Bolivia, funded entirely by the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport), where they will play five friendly matches against quality local opposition.