Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper Mark Paston is expected to be fit for New Zealand's World Cup qualifier this Saturday.

The All Whites take on Bahrain in Wellington with the winner going through to the World Cup finals in South Africa next year and it was initially feared that their number one shot-stopper would be out of action.

But Paston is confident he will recover from a hip injury that has forced him to miss the Phoenix's last two matches.

Paston was apparently right for yesterday's clash with Perth Glory but decided to take an extra week to get himself right for New Zealand's biggest match in recent history.

It is fortunate that the custodian will be available as New Zealand's other regular goalkeeper, Melbourne Victory's Glen Moss, is currently undergoing a four-match international suspension for abusing a referee in the recent Oceania qualifying series.