Shabazz targets Morgan Ferrier, Jonathan Grant for Nations League

Feb 07, 2023 Sports

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur News – The Golden Jaguars are targeting the services of Forge FC defender Jonathan Grant and English forward Morgan Ferrier for the remainder of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Jonathan Grant in action for Forge FC during the Canadian Premier League (CPL).

The country’s senior Men’s National Football team

Jaguars will bounce back into action officially on March 23 in an away game against Bermuda in Hamilton after winning the first leg at the National Track and Field Centre 2 – 1, thanks to goals from Trayon Bobb and Omari Glasgow.

The Golden Jaguars are sitting second in Group B of League B in the CONCACAF Nations League behind an unbeaten Haiti on six points.

The Haitians are at the top of the table on 10 points following back-to-back wins against Guyana (6-2, 6-0) and Montserrat (3 – 2), along with a goalless draw with Bermuda.

Guyana, apart from their defeat to the Haitians, had wins over Montserrat (2 – 1) and Bermuda (2-1).

Following their away game against Bermuda, the Golden Jaguars will return home to play Montserrat in their final Nations League game on March 27.

Speaking exclusively with Kaieteur News, Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz said the players form part of the coaching staff trying to fill a void in the defensive department while adding some additional options to their attack.

Grant, 28, who plays along with Golden Jaguars forward, Emery Welshman with Forge FC in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), is born to Guyanese parents.

The 29-year-old Ferrier, on the other hand, came through the Arsenal youth academy with Anthony Jeffery, who also plays for the Golden Jaguars.

Morgan Ferrier in celebration mode after scoring for Nakhon Ratchasima in the Thai League 1.

In terms of international exposure, Grant was a call-up for Canada in 2015 for their two friendlies against Iceland while also playing for the Canadians in the Pan Am Games (2015) and the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship (2015).

Ferrier played for England’s ‘C’ team. However, he has played in various tiers of the English football pyramid, including a stint with Tranmere Rovers alongside Neil Danns.

Ferrier now plays with Nakhon Ratchasima in the Thai League 1.

Meanwhile, with almost 70 players in training, Shabazz, in a previous interview with Kaieteur News, warned that being based locally doesn’t mean a player is entitled.

“I think the locally-based players are always in our eyes and always have a bite of the cherry. However, it’s not a foregone conclusion that because they’re here, they’re in,” the candid coach highlighted.

Shabazz said he will be working with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) on getting international matches for the local lads before their recommencement of the Nations League.

“I want to see these players. I want to select the best of our boys in Guyana,” Shabazz said, while adding, “Because at the end of the day, I have to face the nation, I have to face the likes of Rawle Toney (Kaieteur News) and Duncan Saul (Stabroek News) …I have to face the people all over the country.”

To strike a balance, Shabazz believes mechanisms should be put in place to travel overseas to have a closer look at the talent available in the diaspora, pointing out, “I have a direct responsibility to the people of Guyana, and the support must be there for me to travel and see these players.”

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CONCACAF Nations League, Golden Jaguars, Nakhon Ratchasima, Omari Glasgow, Trayon Bobb

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