FALLON LOOKING TO HELP ALL WHITES REACH RUSSIA

After former Plymouth Argyle and Torquay United striker Rory Fallon was named in the New Zealand to face Peru in their 2018 World Cup Play-off, we will now look back at the part Fallon played in helping the All Whites reach the 2010 finals in South Africa.

A small piece of sporting and personal history was created by Rory Fallon when he scored the decisive goal for New Zealand in their 1-0 World Cup Play-Off victory over Bahrain last November.

The win secured the Kiwis passage to South Africa for this summers’ competition. It will be the first time the All Whites have featured in the finals of a World Cup since 1982 when Fallon’s father Kevin was assistant manager.

It was fitting that Fallon senior was amongst the 35,000 crowd in Wellington to witness his son’s feat. Like many proud parents it proved to be an emotional evening for him.

“People said he was crying before the game, so I think the whole thing was a bit overwhelming for him,” said Fallon. “But I saw him afterwards and he was the happiest man in the world. When you score for your country you’ve got the hopes of a nation behind you. You know how much it means to everybody and to give them what they want is just the best.”

Following the match Fallon has received the kind of praise normally reserved for the country’s Rugby Union stars. The striker, who currently plies his trade for Plymouth Argyle in the Coca-Cola Championship, will be carrying the entire hopes of a nation on his shoulders when he heads to South Africa this summer.

In a country with a huge Rugby playing tradition, football is often overlooked by sports fans in New Zealand. However Fallon and his team-mates, who include Blackburn Rovers defender Ryan Nelsen and Middlesbrough striker Chris Killen, will be looking to change all that this summer.

"I think New Zealand is getting to the stage where it's All Blacks overkill." he said. “Everyone loves the All Blacks but I think there's too much of it and people are wanting a change and so to get in a World Cup is just massive for the country.”

It is worth noting had it not been for a FIFA rule change, Fallon would not have been on the pitch to score against Bahrain, never mind looking forward to the opportunity of representing his homeland in the World Cup Finals. At the age of 16, he left his homeland to sign for Barnsley and later appeared for England on several occasions at youth level. This meant he was unable to appear for the All Whites.

However, FIFA amended their rules in June 2009 to enable any player who hadn’t won a senior cap for the country they had previously represented to change their allegiance. It was a decision that pleased Fallon who jumped at the chance to represent the All Whites when he was approached by All Whites manager Ricki Herbert.

"When I heard about it, I knew this was my chance. As soon as [coach] Ricki Herbert rang and asked me, I said, 'I'm there'. I was playing again with guys I played with as a kid. It was brilliant."

In 1982, New Zealand were paired in a group that contained Scotland, Brazil and the USSR and returned home from Spain with zero points. This summer’s competition has seen them drawn with Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia. Fallon is confident the All Whites can pull off a shock result in South Africa and is drawing inspiration from the achievements of Senegal in the 2002 Finals.

“One of the underdogs always does well in a World Cup.” he said. “Look at when Senegal beat France in 2002. We’ve got a good defence, we’re strong in the air-we’re a good side. But you need a little bit of luck when it comes to knock out tournaments. Hopefully we can be the ones to cause an upset this time.”

Fallon was an ever present in an All Whites squad that drew with Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay to finish their tournament campaign with three draws and the only unbeaten record in the finals.