Five withdraw from Wales squad

[Loud Mouth Soup]

From football365.com:

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Five players have withdrawn from the Wales squad for the friendlies against Norway and Canada next week.

West Ham defender Andy Melville and Bristol City striker Christian Roberts are both involved in play-off final action for their clubs next weekend and are not involved.

Also withdrawn from the original 30-man party for the games against Norway in Oslo next Thursday (May 27) and Canada at Wrexham three days later are Wolves goalkeeper Paul Jones - who is on honeymoon - Hartlepool striker Eifion Williams (hamstring tear) and Cardiff's Rhys Weston (unconfirmed injury).

The 25-man squad is now as follows: D Coyne (Leicester), M Crossley (Fulham), M Margetson (Cardiff), J Collins (Cardiff), M Delaney (Aston Villa), R Edwards (Aston Villa), D Gabbidon (Cardiff), R Page (Sheffield United), A Williams (Reading), D Barnard (Grimsby), B Thatcher (Leicester), S Davies (Tottenham), C Fletcher (Bournemouth), G Roberts (Tranmere), P Parry (Cardiff), R Savage (Birmingham), J Koumas (West Brom), C Robinson (Portsmouth), G Speed (Newcastle), D Vaughan (Crewe), J Oster (Sunderland), R Earnshaw (Cardiff), N Roberts (Wigan), R Giggs (Manchester United), C Llewellyn (Wrexham).

[Guest Can. in UK]

Robbie Savage and Simon Davies have also withdrawn from the Welsh squad.

Too bad, I was looking forward to the most hated man in the premiership v. the most hated man in the Nationwide (Bircham).

[Guest Can. in UK]

FROM BBC:

Wales send for Bellamy

Norway squad

Craig Bellamy is a late addition to the Wales squad for this week's friendlies against Norway and Canada.

The Newcastle striker was left out of the original party to give him time to recover from his knee problems.

Captain Gary Speed, Simon Davies, Robert Page and Mark Crossley have joined the casualty list, while Ryan Giggs is out of the Norway game.

Robbie Savage, Andy Melville, Paul Jones, Rhys Weston, Christian Roberts and Eifion Williams are also out.

Melville and Roberts will be involved in the Nationwide League play-off, Williams and Weston are injured while Jones will be on his honeymoon.

Birmingham midfielder Savage has had surgery on a back problem and will not be able to kick a ball for eight weeks.

Savage said: "It was a straightforward operation and the best thing to do was to get it sorted out now with the summer coming up."

Savage will not be able to join in fully with his team-mates when they report back for pre-season training on July 8, but he is confident he will be fit for next season's kick-off on 14 August.

He suffered the setback in mid-April after a challenge with Charlton striker Claus Jensen at The Valley.

Hartlepool's Eifion Williams misses a chance to win his first cap

With the likes of John Hartson, Nathan Blake and Gareth Taylor also left out to recover fully after injuries, it is a largely experimental squad.

Wrexham striker Chris Llewellyn received a surprise call, while Martyn Margetson and James Collins from Cardiff are the only uncapped players chosen by Mark Hughes.

Llewellyn has two caps - both earned as a substitute in June 1998 against Malta and Tunisia - and would be a popular choice for the Canada game, which is being played on his home turf at the Racecourse Ground.

Cardiff left wing Paul Parry, with one cap, also gets another chance to impress after catching the eye against Scotland.

Wales play Norway in Oslo on Thursday, 27 May and Canada in Wrexham three days later.