WELLINGTON, (NZN) – Fijian flyer Roy Krishna is a familiar but real danger, warns All Whites striker Shane Smeltz.
Prolific Wellington Phoenix goalscorer Krishna will be firmly on New Zealand____s radar when the nations meet in twin World Cup qualifying games over the next week.
Clubmate Smeltz knows better than anyone how Krishna____s pace and vision can unlock a defence, with the Fijian____s A-League goal tally this season of 11 is more than double any other Phoenix player.
Smeltz reckons the All Whites will be well versed on those methods before the first match in Lautoka on Saturday.
“I think we____re concentrating on Fiji as a whole but obviously we know Roy,” Smeltz said.
“We know his strengths and he____s certainly one of their key players so it____s a good thing that we____ve worked with him week in, week out.
“A lot of us boys and we know him but I don____t think there will be any sort of mateship out there once we cross that line.”
Smeltz, 35, has been solid but unspectacular since joining the Phoenix mid-season.
However, it was enough to earn a recall from coach Anthony Hudson, who has used Smeltz only once during his three years in charge.
The centre forward scored a goal in the 1-1 draw against Myanmar in 2015, lifting his international record to an impressive 24 goals from 51 games.
Smeltz believes the All Whites can lift to a new level under Hudson.
“The whole set up in terms of professionalism – we____ve raised the bar,” he said.
“We____re constantly trying to improve every day at training and hopefully that____s going to show in the performances as well.”
Smeltz may be hard-pushed to win a starting role, with English Championship division striker Chris Wood a certainty to be the attacking spearhead.
Wood has been in sparkling form for Leeds United and is New Zealand____s captain following the injury to Winston Reid.
