Injury-hit Edwards aims to soldier on in Sunderland's cause.

[FF]

Injury-hit Edwards aims to soldier on in Sunderland's cause.
By: Simon Williams (Guardian.UK).[/size]

Debut top flight season has been a disaster but winger believes that he is ready to return

A Sunderland reserve team game at a cold and blustery Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground in Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, is possibly one of the last places you would expect to find someone from the sun-drenched Caribbean islands of Trinidad & Tobago. Then again, the Premier League is not a normal destination for former soldiers who volunteered for armed service before realising they had the ability to play professional football.
Carlos Edwards' journey has been a colourful one. It started in his humble home town of Diego Martin on the island of Trinidad, included two years in the army and has taken in a World Cup in Germany, as well as unglamorous stints with Wrexham and Luton Town.

"I don't want to make a judgment on the way other people's lives work out," said Edwards. "But because of the way my career has gone, the progress I've made and what I've got now compared to back then, I appreciate where I am perhaps more than anybody."

Sadly, at 29 and having taken so long to reach his destination, Edwards' first season in the Premier League has been a disaster with injuries limiting him to just five first-team appearances, his last at the start of December against Derby County when he broke his leg.

"I've been working all my professional career to get to this level, to experience the Premier League and to have that taken away when there was so much excitement at the start of the season was difficult," said the winger, whose run out for the reserves has put him in contention to face Chelsea tomorrow. "But you have to be strong and deal with it.

"Disappointing things happen in life, just like good things do and just like challenges present themselves. Before I got to this point with Sunderland, people would ask me whether I'd prefer to play in the Premier League or the World Cup. I used to say, 'well, you know, the World Cup would be great', but then that dream came true and then in the course of a year or so, I was doing both.

"Then the injuries happened. So, for me, playing in the Premier League this year just wasn't to be, but hopefully we'll survive, which I'm sure we will because I'm a positive guy."

His absence has been acutely felt by Sunderland, as their manager, Roy Keane, who paid Luton £1.4m to sign him last January, has admitted.

"It's only since he returned to training that you realise how much we have missed him," said Keane, who was there to watch Edwards' reserve comeback on Wednesday night. I'm sure we would have scored a few more goals because he is one of those players who likes to get behind teams. We've got a lot of players who look nice on the ball, but we haven't really been able to hurt teams. Carlos is a threat, even on a bad day. He has been a massive loss to us."

Edwards claims his army training gave him his determination to succeed, as well as the ability to deal with his manager's occasional outbursts because "there are scarier sergeant majors".

He added: "I'm a military man. It turned me into an independent person. It made me strong mentally, as well as physically, and they teach you things that mean you're always prepared, always ready and you're always 10 steps ahead of your enemy.

"Moving into football, I tried to put all that into effect and I always try to think a few steps ahead of the opposition we're playing against. Sometimes it doesn't always go to plan, but it helps having that mentality that you're going to try and do things in a positive way."

Given that they are just two points above the drop zone, Sunderland need to stay positive and Edwards, like any good solider, will fight to the end. "There are many players at this club who have worked their way up to this point," he said. "I don't know whether that gives us more drive or determination to stay here, but what I do know is that it gives an edge to what I'm doing; I don't want to go back to the Championship, I don't want to go back down. I won't let it enter my mind that we're going to get relegated. I'm just going to try my best to keep Sunderland floating in the Premiership."

Exiled Soca Warriors

Dwight Yorke,[/b]

Sunderland Age 36 Caps 58

Won the treble with Manchester United in 1999; has a stadium in Tobago named in his honour

Dennis Lawrence

Swansea Age 33 Caps 69

6ft 8in defender scored the goal against Bahrain that sent the Soca Warriors to World Cup

Kenwyne Jones

Sunderland Age 23 Caps 34

Played against England in Nuremberg; signed by Roy Keane for £6m

Silvio Spann

Wrexham Age 26 Caps 28

Latest Trinidadian at the Dragons; missed World Cup with injury


Carlos Edwards has not played for Sunderland since December. Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images

You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to football.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk.

[weary1969]

Ok Carlossssssssssss so d world what we know u capable of

[capodetutticapi]

hope he could finish de season in one piece.

[Trinitim]

 FIGHT ON SOLDIER!!!!!!!! YOU HAVE THE HEART OF A WARRIOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I BELIEVE IN YOU CARLOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COME ON AND SHOW EVERYBODY WHAT YOU CAPABLE OF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Andre]

another article.

Edwards return boosts Black Cats ahead of Chelsea clash


SUNDERLAND, England (AFP) - Sunderland manager Roy Keane was desperately in need of some good news after hearing how Chelsea hit peak form in their 6-1 demolition of Derby County on Wednesday.

And, as he prepares to tackle Avram Grant's team at the Stadium of Light, it came in the form of Carlos Edwards, the winger who has been sidelined for the vast majority of the season.

Chelsea will hardly be worried that the Trinidad and Tobago international is ready to finally return against them.

But the pace of the former Luton player at least offers some encouragement for Keane before a game which appears daunting to even the most optimistic Sunderland supporter.

A little more Sunderland optimism certainly drained away after they heard how Frank Lampard scored four of the Chelsea goals against Derby.

The debate over his future at the club continues and even Lampard admits he would like to see it "sorted out" as quickly as possible.

But there is no sign that the speculation is affecting the form of a player admired by Keane, who called him "one of the world's best midfielders" earlier this season.

Keane does not possess anybody in Lampard's class, but he does have a player in Edwards who is also capable of creating and scoring goals.

The winger has made only five appearances this season because of a succession of injuries.

And Edwards, the same age as Lampard at 29, has been badly missed, which explains why Keane is planning to recall him against Chelsea, despite the fact he has played only 60 minutes for the reserves.

Captain Dean Whitehead will certainly welcome him back. "We have really missed Carlos this season," he said.

"He has pace, skill, puts in great crosses and carries a goal threat. He has it all and there is no doubt we will be a better team when he returns."

Edwards suffered a hamstring injury at the start of the season, then broke a leg in December.

He said: "I've been looking forward to playing again for a long time. It's just a shame that I have had two long-term injuries now this season. But all I can do is be positive and hope that they are behind me now.

"I'm hoping that I will be involved against Chelsea and I'll be knocking on the gaffer's door telling him that I'm ready to play."

Meanwhile, Keane has praised the attitude of his players after Everton inflicted the latest blow to their survival prospects.

He said: "You have to keep believing. Sometimes it is hard when you lose, but the spirit among my players is the least of my worries.

"We have to be positive for this game. There are six or seven teams fighting down there and it might go to the last week or two."

[JDB]

FF stop reading meh papers please.

Just kidding deleted the late post, didn't see that FF beat me to the punch.

[rippin]

Trinidad should make everybody serve two years. Or have a 5 years cadets get out clause. 
We need the discipline.