Football Ferns' coach Tony Readings read the tea leaves perfectly when assessing his charges' next opponents prior to heading off on their current tour. "Compared to the squad they had in the Algarve Cup, I think they'll put out a stronger one against us", he said of Japan. "They would have been experimenting at that tournament, but on home turf, and live on TV in Japan, I think they'll put close to their strongest team out, if not their strongest". Sure enough, Norio Sasaki, the coach of the reigning FIFA Women's World Cup holders, has brought back Aya Miyama and 2011 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Homare Sawa for the Football Ferns' match, the first of three Japan will be playing in the near future. Clashes with England and Germany in Europe follow hard on the heels of their current assignment for Nadeshiko Japan, who have named a 25-strong squad for the Football Ferns' encounter, which takes place at the 24,490-capacity Best Amenity Stadium in Tosu, Fukuoka, from 10.30pm on Thursday, NZ time. Like Sunday's Australian encounter, this match will be televised, and presents the national coach with the chance to see New Zealand pitting their talents against a squad which boasts fifteen players who collected World Cup winners' medals in Frankfurt nearly two years ago. A further three miss this match through injury. So it's real David and Goliath territory for the Football Ferns, who, like Japan, are building towards the twin targets of Canada 2015 and Rio 2016. Nadeshiko have named a couple of potential debutants among their squad in goalkeeper Misaki Amano and defender Ayaka Watanabe. Similarly, Megan Lee will be hoping that this match presents her with the opportunity to make her first senior appearance on the world stage. The fleet-footed flank player has clearly impressed at Football Ferns' training sessions, at which the locally-based senior players are joined by their Junior Ferns' colleagues, a practice which is working very well, according to Readings. "It helps out the senior team because it means we've got good numbers at the training sessions. That allows us to do a lot more. And they're good quality players too, players that we believe have got the potential to kick on and play for the senior team. "It helps our long-term development, but we want, short-term, for them to be pushing the senior players for their positions. The only way they can gauge themselves as to how good they are is by playing against those players more often. "For an U20 or U17 player coming in now to play against an established Fern, it gives them a good benchmark of where they need to hit, 'cause we want as much competition as we can for places, and if we can bring these players through quicker through initiatives like this, it's going to be really helpful". When the overseas-based players are able to join in the fun, it's even more beneficial. "Their presence certainly gives us more

quality of depth", says Readings, "so we can do a lot more with the sessions. "Naturally the execution of the sessions is miles better when they're here, but even when they're not, the presence of the likes of Helen Collins, Abby Erceg, Katie Hoyle and Holly Patterson means it's a pretty level playing field anyway, which is good for us and will be a strength moving forward". With there being less than two years to go until the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals, Readings is considering his playing options looking towards that tournament and beyond. With this in mind, Lee is a new face on this tour, while at the Cyprus Cup in March, Erin Nayler and Helen Collins made their senior debuts. And barely a year has passed since both Holly Patterson and Rebekah Stott were first afforded Football Ferns' status. "The good thing with our squad is that it's still pretty young anyway. The squad that went to the Olympics in 2012 is pretty much the squad that will go to 2016. Hopefully we'll push some of these younger players in there, because if they move beyond the current Ferns it's great for the team. "The continuity has been quite slick from 2011 onwards, 'cause there haven't been that many changes in the group. The challenge now is to just keep the group kicking on. They've got lots of potential which is still untapped. They've progressed every year, and some of the best players - Ria Percival, Abby Erceg and Katie Hoyle, for instance - are still in their early 20s, so they're quite far from their peak. "For us, the continuity is coming. I think a lot of that comes down to more game experience. This year we've got seven games against teams in the world's top ten, so that sort of thing is going to really help these players kick on. I think that's how we'll progress - by these players playing more often against better teams". Being without players who boast truckloads of experience for matches such as this one against Japan is not a reality a coach likes to be faced with. But the duo who have shared the captaincy duties for the Football Ferns over a number of years are missing from this trip. Hayley Bowden, who, with 90 caps, is New Zealand's most capped female footballer, was unavailable for this tour, while Rebecca Smith's rehabilitation process to conquer a knee problem continues. "Whenever you lose someone like Bex Smith … she's going to be really hard to replace", says Readings ruefully. "What she's done for New Zealand over the last 7-8 years, and what she's done domestically for her club, her qualities are obvious. "While it's disappointing that Bex isn't here, what her absence has done is given players like Bridgette Armstrong and Rebekah Stott an opportunity to come in. I think their development will increase by getting these increasing opportunities. "Rebekah, for instance, is going to be a big player moving forward to 2016 and beyond for us. In Cyprus, she was one of our best

players, and she again showed her quality in camp prior to heading away". In Armstrong's case, an eleventh hour injury prevented her from embarking on this tour. But while she's certain to be back in the frame once fit again, what are the prospects for other players, those whose names regularly crop up in despatches when women's football followers draw up their ideal Football Ferns team, for instance, yet who always seem to find themselves on the outside looking in? Readings' response is considered. "The team's doing well. It's not like we need to change things to make the team win, because they're already winning games, e.g. Scotland, Italy and Switzerland at the Cyprus Cup in March. "For any player, be they one trying to get into the squad, or one not starting regularly, we never shut the door completely. The thing is, these players need to keep working hard, because at the moment, everyone that's in the squad is working hard. "That said, there are always going to be opportunities for players, whether they come about through injuries, loss of form, we could take larger squads on tour, or play on a development tour. "There are all these opportunities for players to come in and stake their claim, but it is a tough nut to crack - we can't hide away from that. "The Football Ferns are a good team", says Readings proudly, and rightly so, given they are ranked twentieth in the world. "The strength in depth is really strong now. So if you're outside the group, trying to get in, it's going to be pretty hard because these players are working very hard. "You can only pick so many - if you could pick them all it would be easy. That's the hardest part of the job of a coach", grins the coach. "But we know that the players we are picking we believe are the best ones". How they stack up to the challenge they'll face playing the current FIFA Women's World Cup holders can be found out by watching the action from Fukuoka live on Sky Sports 1 from 10.15pm on Thursday evening. Japan (from):      GK: Ayumi Kaihori, Miho Fukumoto, Misaki Amano, Erina Yamane DF: Azusa Iwashimizu, Asuna Tanaka, Saori Ariyoshi, Rumi Utsugi, Yuki Sakai, Kana Osafune, Ayaka Watanabe, Saki Kumagai MF: Nahomi Kawasumi, Marumi Yamazaki, Emi Nakajima, Nanase Kiryu, Aya Miyama, Homare Sawa, Mizuho Sakaguchi, Megumi Kamionobe, Kozue Ando FW: Yuki Ogimi, Shinobu Ohno, Mana Iwabuchi, Karina Maruyama Football Ferns (from):     Jenny Bindon (gk), Ria Percival, Anna Green, Katie Hoyle, Abby Erceg (c), Megan Lee, Ali Riley, Amber Hearn, Sarah Gregorius, Kirsty Yallop, Betsy Hassett, Rosie White, Rebekah Stott, Annalie Longo, Hannah Wilkinson, Katie Bowen, Holly Patterson, Helen Collins, Erin Nayler (gk), Sarah McLaughlin