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Golden Jaguars hunting ‘W’ tonight
Kelsey Benjamin (right) battles Soca Warriors Captain Sheldon Bateau during their Friendly encounter on Monday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. (TTFA Photo)
– Golden Jaguars head coach satisfied with team performance
By Rawle Toney
Kaieteur Sports – Golden Jaguars head coach Jamaal Shabazz aims to conclude the two-match friendly against the Soca Warriors on a positive note as the two teams clash tonight at the Hasely Crawford Stadium at 7:00 pm.
In their first encounter on Monday, Trinidad and Tobago picked up a narrow 2-1 win over Guyana, courtesy of goals from Ezekiel Kezar and veteran Kevon ‘Showtime’ Woodley.
Kelsey Benjamin notched his seventh international goal in the 47th minute, maintaining the Golden Jaguars’ balanced record against Trinidad and Tobago with three wins and three draws in their last six encounters.
Reflecting on the match, Shabazz expressed satisfaction with the performance of his predominantly inexperienced Golden Jaguars line-up, comprised mainly of players from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite League.
In fact, on Monday, Shabazz fielded an all-local starting line-up, comprising of mostly players from the two unbeaten clubs in the Elite League, Slingerz FC and Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
Shabazz opted to start Jamine Cumberbatch (GDF) in goal, while the rest of the line-up included Jeremy Garrett (Slingerz FC), Quincy Adams (Slingerz FC), Leo Lovell (Slingerz FC), Darron Niles (Slingerz FC), Curtez Kellman (Slingerz FC), Amos Ramsay (GDF), Kelsey Benjamin (GDF), Ryan Hackett (GDF), Stephen McDonald (GDF), and Daniel Wilson (Captain) from Western Tigers.
As both Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago utilize the two friendlies as part of their preparation for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, Shabazz emphasized that these matches will play a crucial role in shaping the Golden Jaguars’ identity and playing philosophy.
“Not bad,” Shabazz said of his side’s performance against his regional rival, “coming out of the league, some of them for the first time (playing International football). I’m prepared to go back in with the same approach. Maybe throw some faces around and see how it looks.”
Guyana will kick off their FIFA World Cup Qualifier campaign on June 6 against Panama in Panama City, while the Soca Warriors will host Grenada on June 5.
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