Defence Force head coach Ross Russell is expecting nothing less than another comfortable victory on Friday night when his team takes on Guyana’s Milerock from 6pm in their Caribbean Football Union Club Championship Second Round second-leg clash from 6pm at the Larry Gomes Stadium.
“We have been practicing to win games so we are going out for a win,” said the 2010-2011 Digicel Pro League Championship winning coach who guided his charges to an impressive 4-0 away victory against Milerock in the first-leg.
The winner of the home and away tie will advance into the semi-final round which will be contested in Trinidad in May along with the Final.
“We are looking to qualify,” continued Russell. “We have a nice cushion at home.
“We are home and our fans need to see us playing at best because in the CONCACAF we have to learn winning at home,” added the Defence Force coach as he looks further to the CONCACAF Champions’ League.
The top three teams coming out of the CFU Club Championship will advance into next season’s CONCACAF Champions’ League in which Defence Force is no stranger to having represented Trinidad and Tobago four times winning in 1978 and 1985.
Despite registering a comfortable 4-0 result in the first-leg against the Guyanese side and boasting a lot of confidence, Russell said he isn’t taking Milerock for granted.
“I know they played with three forwards in the first leg and tried to keep us at bay.
“They have talented players who make good runs off the ball such as (Collie) Hurcules. He(Hurcules) got injured in the first leg and I’m not sure if he will be available for Friday’s game but I’m sure they will come to fight for every inch of grass in Trinidad, because they want to qualify as well.
“So we are not taking them for granted and play based on our 4-0 (first leg) win. We are going to focus on game for game (and look for another victory).”
Russell a former Trinidad and Tobago international and Defence Force player who played at the CFU level also said that his squad isn’t at full strength with Jewyn Balthazar(who did not play in Guyana), Ronald St. Louis, Keston Williams and Dexter Pacheco still nursing niggling injuries.
However his side remains strong with Michael Edwards coming off a double against Milerock in the first leg, Richard Roy, team captain Corey Rivers, goalkeeper Kevin Graham among the names of possible starters.