T&T face Guyana in warm up game this afternoon

Sep 03, 2008 Sports

Prepare for Saturday’s 2010 WC qualifier against GuatemalaThe ‘Golden Jaguars’ will take on Trinidad and Tobago in an International Friendly this afternoon at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

This afternoon’s game has been specially requested by FIFA Vice President and President of CONCACAF and CFU Austin ‘Jack’ Warner as the Twin Island Republic prepares for their all important 2010 World Cup qualifying fixture against Guatemala on Saturday.

The senior clash between Guyana and T&T is the supporting game to an under-20 clash between the Twin Island Republic and El Salvador’s.
Eight local based players will team up with some of their fellow nationals in T&T for the game.

Those players are Glenorvan Edmonds (Santos F.C) who made a grand entry to the national level with a goal against Dominica in his Debut game in the Digicel Caribbean Championship group A at the Providence Stadium.

Kelvin McKenzie, Shawn Bishop, Anthony Abrams, Leon Grumble and goalkeeper Ronson Williams all of Alpha United; Dwight Peters (GDF) and Devon Millington (Western Tigers) along with head coach Wayne Dover.

The T&T players are captain, Charles Pollard, Howard Lowe, Walter Moore, Kester Jacobs, Konata Manning, Nigel Codrington and Brion Baker all of Neal and Massey Caledonia AIA; Dwain Jacobs, Philbert Moffatt and Andrew Durant (North East Stars); Gregory Richardson is out due to duties with Joe Public in the CONCACAF Champions League return game in the USA last night, while the Tobago based quartet of Collie Hercules, Richard Reynolds, Kayode McKinnon and Carey Harris are also out as a result of club duties in the T&T Pro League in Tobago.

The T&T / El Salvador encounter was initially set for yesterday at the Marvin Lee Stadium, but the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation decided to shift it for this evening as the main event.

Trinidad’s senior team resumed training on Monday and moved into a live-in camp at the Crown Plaza Hotel, yesterday.

The full squad, minus Joe Public’s Keyeno Thomas and Kerry Baptiste (away on CONCACAF Champions League duty) but inclusive of the overseas professionals, assembled yesterday.

That list included Swansea City duo Dennis Lawrence and Jason Scotland, Sunderland midfielder Carlos Edwards, Hungary-based goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams and US-based defenders Avery John and Julius James.

Former national captain Dwight Yorke also confirmed his availability for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers beginning with Saturday’s fixture against the Guatemalans who will arrive in Port of Spain tomorrow. The Sunderland midfielder joined the team yesterday.
Baptiste, Thomas and Richardson will return to T&T today.

Defence Force defender Aklie Edwards is also in the squad and will be eligible for action in the qualifiers having completed a four-match suspension for a red card offence in an Olympic qualifier against Cuba earlier this year.

Among the other home-based pros included are midfielder Keon Daniel, the double goal scorer against Cuba as well as Densill Theobald, Cornell Glen, Cyd Gray, Anthony Wolfe, Andre Toussaint Clyde Leon and goalkeeper Marvin Phillip.

Striker Cornell Glen says T&T will not be complacent against Guatemala, particularly when one looks back at the past two qualifiers. Guatemala were handsome 5-1 winners in Guatemala City before a late Stern John double gave T&T a come-from-behind 3-2 win at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on the final stretch to Germany 2006.

T&T currently sit atop the four-team group ahead of the Americans on goal difference.