CRAIG Bellamy may have been named as Wales skipper for the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Slovakia and Cyprus but goalkeeper Paul Jones has stressed the importance of his experienced team-mates helping him out on the pitch.

QPR stopper Jones will win his 50th cap in the clash with Slovakia and never has John Toshack been more grateful of his international know-how at the back.

Ryan Giggs, who was last night named as Welsh footballer of the year with Lewin Nyatanga taking the young player of the year honours, is one of many seasoned professionals to pull out injured putting increasing strain on the remaining familiar faces.

But 39-year-old Jones has given his backing to Craig Bellamy and has pledged to do his part to help out his 27-year-old leader.

He said: "As much as Craig is going to have the captain's armband there's myself and Danny Gabbidon at centre half and Carl Robinson in midfield, and all through the middle of the pitch you need captains to pull everybody together.

"It's like at club level, there's the main captain but there are also five or six lads out there as well and you want to have senior players out there helping. We have all got to try and be captains to get a performance out of everybody.

"I think Craig is one of the more experienced lads and I think John Toshack likes his outfield players to be captains. Hopefully Craig will use his experience to bring the younger lads through and talk to them on the pitch to help get the right results.

"He has matured now, he's playing at a massive club in Liverpool and I'm sure he will use that experience to bring the youngsters on the pitch to the fore."

Defeat to the Czech Republic in the Group D opener has put pressure on Toshack's team to get six points from the clashes with Slovakia and Cyprus.

The likes of Gareth Bale, Joe Ledley and Lewin Nyatanga are one again going to have to step up to the mark to fill the void left by the withdrawals and Jones believes they are more than capable of doing the job.

He said: "The average age has dropped again but it gives the guys a chance to get the shirt and go out there and show what they can do in international football.

"I'm not concerned about the withdrawals, it's part of football.

"We've not got massive depth in terms of experience but the youngsters who have come in over the last two years of John's reign have got the chance to step in.

"The Czech Republic was a massive disappointment, it was encouraging the way we played and the chances we created but to get nothing from the game was very disappointing.

"These two games give us the chance to put some of that right and give us an outside chance of catching everybody else."