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Tommy Smith: the Braintree Town defender ready to experience the "crown glory" of his World Cup career

Braintree Town defender Tommy Smith will feature in his second World Cup with New Zealand, reflecting on his career and the special environment created by the national team.

Braintree Town defender Tommy Smith is set to experience the crown glory of his career as he prepares to compete in his second World Cup, 16 years after playing for New Zealand in South Africa in 2010. Smith, 36, was selected by manager Darren Bazeley to be part of the All Whites' 26-man squad and, after the team departed for Florida last month, he is getting to grips with his new surroundings. New Zealand have been drawn in Group G, alongside Belgium, Egypt and Iran, and will be based in San Diego during the tournament, with the first match taking place in Los Angeles against Iran on June 16. Ahead of their first warm-up match against Haiti, which takes place on Wednesday (01:00 BST) at Inter Miami's Chase Stadium, Smith - born in Macclesfield but who lived much of his youth in New Zealand - is ready to test himself again against the best players in the world. "I'm 36 and realistically this isn't something that's going to happen again for me as a player, so I want to savor every moment, have fun, contribute as much as I can and enjoy the whole experience," Smith told BBC Radio Essex. "I grew up in New Zealand and the connection you feel with that place, if you've lived there, is really special and something I've never taken for granted. There have been times in the past where the desire to come back and play for New Zealand wasn't as strong, but under the new regime and also the previous one, there has been a great desire to create a special environment to be in that pushes everyone to show up and give their all every time." After spending a year at Auckland City, a team with which he ended the season as league leaders but which was eliminated in the semi-final of the Australian A-League play-offs by Melbourne Victory, Smith returned to England in August to wear the Braintree shirt. It has been a rough season for Smith as Braintree were relegated from the National League, finishing second from bottom, and now face the sixth tier of English football. "We realize the stature of the players we're going to compete against and we know we're considered outsiders, and hopefully we can use that to our advantage. I'd like to think that some of these teams won't take us too lightly and see us as an easy team to beat, because if they do, hopefully they'll be surprised. But we as players want to test ourselves against the best in the world, and we have young players who are hungry and full of ambition who want to grow in their careers, and there's no better stage than the World Cup to do that,” Smith said. In the 2010 World Cup, Smith played all the matches of his team, which was the only one not to lose in the tournament, but failed to progress to the round. The All Whites drew all three matches, against Slovakia, Paraguay and reigning champions Italy, finishing the group in third place and missing out on qualifying for the knockout round by just one point. "The goal from the beginning was to get through, get to the round of 16. In 2010 we came third in the group, this time the best third-placed teams will get through, so we have a chance to get through" concluded Smith. Smith is currently undecided about the future of his career, as his contract with Braintree has expired and he still has debts owed to players. "We players have not been paid in the last month, and I know that the president is looking for investors who can cover the club's debts. The fans deserve better, and they deserve a club that functions and fights for the top positions next year. I am out of contract, and I told coach Steve Pitt that after the World Cup I will see what to do."

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