This was published 16 years ago
Price is Wright: Sydney tell pint-sized fullback to pay for a chance to play
By Michael Cockerill
SYDNEY FC have offered a trial to veteran English defender Alan Wright - but he'll have to pay his own way here.
Wright, 36, is on trial at lower-league Oldham Athletic after being released by Nottingham Forest at the end of last season. A veteran of more than 600 appearances across all levels of the English game, the 162-centimetre Wright holds one distinctive record - the shortest player to have played in the Premier League.
Sydney FC have a vacancy on their roster following the recent season-ending injury to American midfielder Mike Enfield, and while coach Branko Culina's preferred option is to bring in another striker, he's believed to be willing to have a look at Wright, who is a natural left fullback - a problem position for the club since the off-season departure of Alvin Ceccoli.
But Wright will have to fund his own trial, and it's believed he was making up his mind last night. If he accepts the offer, Wright will be in Sydney next week. In the meantime, Sydney are still scouring Europe and Japan for a striker and, either way, hope to have a new signing in time for Friday week's away match against Perth Glory.
Meanwhile, seven players will be missing from that match following yesterday's announcement of the 20-man Olympic (under-23) squad for the qualifier against Lebanon in Beirut on October 18. The same fixture in round three was also hit hard by withdrawals through international commitments.
The Olyroos will go into camp in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, on Monday for nine days and will transfer to Beirut the day before the game.
Perth will have four players absent on October 12, while Sydney FC will have three - with utility Adam Casey recalled to the squad after forcing his way into Culina's line-up in recent weeks. He joins clubmates Mark Milligan and Ruben Zadkovich for next week's trip to the Middle East.
"I want to reward players who are doing well in the A-League," Olyroos coach Graham Arnold said. "We've got a situation where if I want an out-and-out right winger, then at the moment I've only got Davie Williams [of Brondby, Denmark]. I want cover for every position, and Adam is someone who can add something to the squad."
Arnold has named 15 home-based players because several of the European-based contingent have been unable to secure releases for the pre-match camp.
"I've gone for a lot of A-League players because they can be there early to acclimatise, whereas some of the European guys wouldn't get in until the day before the game, and wouldn't even be able to train," Arnold said.
"That's not to say this group is any weaker. The way these guys have been going in the A-League has impressed me and they're good enough to go over there and do the job. But that doesn't mean it will be easy. Obviously, we beat Lebanon quite comfortably here, but this will be a completely different story. They've got three players back from suspension and they won't have the travel to deal with. They'll also be desperate to win if they've got any dreams of qualifying. I'm under no illusions how tough it will be."
Among the five overseas-based players called into camp is exciting winger James Troisi, of England's Newcastle United, who seems to have served his unofficial ban for failing to turn up to an earlier qualifier in Jordan.
In other news, fringe Socceroos winger Ahmad Elrich may have to wait another week to make his debut for his new club Wellington Phoenix, who travel to Brisbane to play Queensland Roar tomorrow night.
Elrich, 26, was hoping to make first appearance at Suncorp Stadium after playing in a practice match at Porirua last weekend, but coach Ricki Herbert said he might not be quite ready.