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Whenever chatting with St Anthony's "Tigers" coach Nigel Grovesnor, the conversation must almost always gravitate to the subject of football.


And why not? His is one of the more renowned names in local football-- albeit mostly for secondary schools' football.

When I caught up with "Grovey" recently, as he is affectionately called by most who know him, it was no different. And as usual, when the topic got to football, he had a twinkle in his eyes, and a grin on his face, and a look of nostalgia that makes it hard to tell just which of his many experiences over the past 22 years in the "Tigers" Westmoorings lair is crossing his mind.

Like any other, this time "Grovey" had a lot to talk about, including his year-long stint with the national under-17 team, in which he took them just short of the final round of qualifying for the World Under-17 Championships after at 3-1 loss at the feet of Cuba late last year.

And as he related some of his experiences with the team, one got the feeling he wished there was more to show following his tenure, despite his pride at representing T&T at the national youth level.

"That has been a great experience," Grovey explained. "I have not regretted it. When I took the job, I took it just to see where I am. Here I am winning at St Anthony's College, and I'm pretty successful as a college coach. But it was an opportunity for me to see where exactly I am.

"And I think I did pretty well. I think I did a good job, not meaning to boast, or anything. You know, the boys respected me, they like meh, they were playing good football."

But although not wanting to make excuses, Grovey believed the team could have achieved much more had they not had such a hectic schedule.

"You know, I never said anything, eh, because you don't want to sound like you're making excuses," Grovesnor explains. "But yuh know, the reality is that. They played Tuesday, Thursday, Saturdays for their schools. Every single player on that national under-17 side was playing football. They went through mud, rain, and when they came back now at the end of the InterCol to play Cuba, they just couldn't do it.

"Mentally and physically, Kern, they were tired. They had a lot of injuries. And they had the mind, they wanted to do it. You could have seen that."

Grovesnor continued: "We played Jabloteh under-20. And the first half, we had them 2-0. We were running them. And in the second half they ended up winning 4-2. They (U-17s) couldn't run. (Against) W Connection U-20s, first half, we had them 1-0. Second half they gave us five. They could not make it through the second half, because the boys couldn't make it. It was too much football.

"And you know, when we came back, Mr (Jack) Warner sat down there and asked-which was very good of him-what went wrong, because he liked the team, eh. He was very disappointed that Cuba beat

us. Because he saw the team play, before we went to the tournament, he saw the team play. And he fell in love with the team."

The topic of the upcoming Secondary Schools Football League season replaced the pensive look on his face with a customary broad smile, one that assists you in remembering the flashy, attacking play his team has come to be known for.

Even though the team will be without last season's major players, like crafty playmaker Kevon Neaves and sturdy last stopper Yohance Marshall, both of whom are currently on scholarships at the University of South Florida, USA; as well as Keegan Davidson, one of the most outstanding 'keepers of the 2004 season, the "Tigers" coach already has his eyes on the prizes.

According to him, despite the fact that they are without the usual playmaker, who can almost single-handedly change the course of a match, reclaiming the titles they lost last year is high up on the agenda. Not least is their rivalry against Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive, who defeated them in all four encounters between the teams last year.

"All the games we played 'Compre' last year, we had them. In the Intercol final, the North (Zone) final, we were playing them. So you know people feel 'Compre' was over us. We should have won everything last year.

"I am very optimistic. They may have the players, and with 'Compre' you don't know who they have and who they don't have, you don't know who's coming back and who's not. But we going, and we going out strong, we going out to defend, we going out to avenge, we going and try to take back what they took from us. It's going to be hard, because they're all coming out to beat St Anthony's."

But with the lack of a star usually found within the ambush of "Tigers", Grovey

believed the best approach would be to take the team on a trip, to work on their camaraderie and togetherness. Thus he accepted an invitation to attend an intense one-week clinic at the University of South Florida, where the team were coached by the University coaches only.

For 2005, Grovey has already identified his targets, as he showed a few weeks ago when it was rumoured that former "Strike Squad" coach Everald "Gally" Cummings might be manning the Fatima College bench this season.

"They're giving me more motivation," he says with a wide, wry smile. "Beating Gally is a plus for me. Because there you are, you have one of the great coaches. Like here you are, a couple years ago we played Signal Hill in the InterCol and (two-time former national coach) Bertille (St Clair) was coaching them. Beating them made me feel good. Because here I am, beating a national coach. And I felt good.

"When you come up against those people, it gives you the motivation to try and do something. Gally is my friend. I respect him a lot. He's a good coach. So if he's coaching Fatima, and I beat Fatima, that's something to feel good about. So I would love for him to coach Fatima.

"They have good players...but we'll find a remedy."

Again his expression shifted when the question of attracting players to his school and team was raised.

"Let me tell you something Kern, and I'm glad you brought it up, because I want to speak about it, eh. We in the League since 1987. The first year we won (a title) was in 1997. That's 10 years after. In those 10 years, we were winning Under-14 and Under-16 right through. We were Under-14, 16, right there every year.

"So we were building, but people weren't watching downstairs. From Form One we were working. So the Championship team was just working and staying there, in the Forms the Under-14s were coming up and they were winning. We were building a foundation."

"I have been told, people have come to me and tell me that I have offered (Malick striker, Hayden) Tinto $15,000 to come to St Anthony's...that's no lie. So you see where it has reached? People come to me to get into St Anthony's. They want to get into St Anthony's because we are successful. But we not going to be successful all the time. It's a...cycle," he says emphatically. "It might be Mucurapo's turn now. We don't know. But we just want to be up there."

Then he gives the story of the Westfield brothers, Damian and Dimalon. Both players, originally from Malick Senior Comprehensive, are currently completing their Masters degrees in the US.

He explained that following their maiden InterCcol victory in 1997, the two were chosen by the "Tigers"players to play with the team in the Caribbean tournament.

"After we played in the tournament, I remember clearly, while we were walking out the grounds, one of the Westfield brothers ran across to me and he said 'Mr Grovesnor, I'd like to know what I have to do to come to St Anthony's. I said 'well why you want to go to St Anthony's?' He say 'well I want to do something with myself, I would like to get a scholarship', and so on.

"So I told him...I say 'well you'll have to take an exam and see what happens'. So he said to tell him when the exam was. I told him when the exam was. (When) he left Morvant, it was pouring rain, Kern, I'll never forget. He left Morvant in (the) pouring rain, took a taxi from Morvant through town, come in 'Diego', and came and did that exam. He passed it. He didn't pass it high, but he barely passed. And we accepted him. That li'l boy is now doing his Masters degree."

And the tale of Dimalon Westfield was not too dissimilar.

"Dimalon came to me also and asked if he could get into St Anthony's. He couldn't get in because he only had four passes. But Malick was willing to take him back into Sixth Form. He refused to go back to Malick, and came to me and asked if I could give him lessons.

"I got somebody to give him lessons right here at St Anthony's. He wasn't going St Anthony's, he wasn't going to school, he stayed out of school, and did lessons, and I got him a scholarship into the 'States. He has now graduated, and he's doing his Masters."

But no matter the assertions, none can deny the "Tigers" have carved a name for themselves in the annals of schools football history, despite their humble beginnings. Several of their former players are currently in the US completing their studies, including former national under-17 player Julius James and Steve Sealy jnr (University of Connecticut), Ian Mc Auley (University of Edwardsville), Abiola Sandy (Golden State University) and Keston Jones (Young Iris). Three former "Tigers"-Carlos Edwards, Kenwyne Jones and Brent Rahim-now ply their trade in England, and are in the current national squad seeking qualification for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

So what would be a satisfactory season for Grovesnor and his young charges?

"Well I wanna win," he says with a robust laugh. "Let me tell you. We have won three straight in InterCol, two with Big Five, and we're up there with them. If I don't win, I want to be up there with them and be respected. We want always to be a team for people to respect. And I'll be satisfied if I know that, 'hey, although we didn't win, people respect us'.

"That's the name of the game there."

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