GFF names 20-man squad for Parbo Bier Cup

May 30, 2009 Sports

Head Coach Paul James confident team will do well

Head Coach Paul James (6th left) and his assistant Bilaal Nantambu (No. 5) monitor their charges, as they go through an attacking exercise, while maintaining their defensive shape on Thursday afternoon.

By Franklin Wilson
The Guyana Football Federation has released the names of its 20-man squad that will compete in the 2nd Annual Parbo Bier Cup competition scheduled for Suriname, June 1- 8, 2009.
Howard Lowe will make his debut as captain of the ‘Golden Jaguars’ and is the most capped and senior player in the squad. His experience and knowledge of the game will have to be utilised as he guides a young and inexperienced team against seasoned campaigners and host Suriname, Antigua & Barbuda and French Guiana.

The three goalkeepers are Shemroy Arthur, Ronson Williams and Richie Richards all young custodians. The experience will do them a world of good as they seek to consolidate and cement their claim for a place at the top. Lowe will lead the defence and will look for support from an inexperienced unit which includes Quincy Madramootoo, Devon Harris, Keron Cameron, Reshawn Sandiford and Randy Small.
Dirk Archer, son of former national captain Terrence Archer is back and will be working in midfield along with Travis ‘Zorro’ Grant, Emerick Williams, Philbert Moffatt, Sceyon Hope, Warren Gilkes and Dwain Jacobs.
Leading the hunt for goals up front are Edison Gomes, the multi talented Clive Andries, who also represented Guyana in cricket at the Under-19 level as an off-spinner, Peter Parks and Delroy Deen.

Paul James

In an invited comment yesterday, Head Coach Paul James acknowledged that the team is a very young one but was still confident that they will do well against the opposing teams in Suriname. “This will be good exposure for the players who are young; many of them will be eligible for the Under-23 team next year. This is the time for grooming again and I expect them to do well.”
James noted that his captain is quite an experienced customer and he expects that the younger players will seek to learn as much as they can from him.

He also acknowledged that finishing has been one of the major challenges of the team as has been the case generally, over the years. Many of the training sessions have been dedicated to remedying this situation and while it cannot be dealt with overnight, James said he is looking forward to seeing signs of change.
“Finishing has always been a problem but we have been working hard on this. I have told the players and coaches that we have to change this syndrome. We cannot give up goals to the opposition and we must capitalize on the opportunity we create to score.”

The team which have also been working on their defence consistently, will have their final practice session this morning at the Carifesta Sports Complex ground and will leave for Suriname overland on Monday morning. Guyana will play Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday evening in their first game. They next challenge old time rivals Suriname on Friday night before tackling French Guiana on Sunday in their final game.

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