Trinidad don’t give us respect that we deserve.
By Stephen Wright.
Whether coaching from the dugout or playing out on the pitch Gary Darrell has never lost to Trinidad and Tobago. It is a record he is desperate to remain unblemished when the dust settles on Sunday's World Cup qualifying showdown.
The national team technical advisor believes Bermuda holds a voodoo over the Soca Warriors having achieved a series of splendid results against the Caribbean superpower over the years.
Darrell was part of the team who beat Trinidad in the semi-finals of the 1967 Pan Am Games and was coach when Bermuda posted a win and a draw during a two-game tour of the Island in 1988.
"If you go back over history we've always seemed to do well against Trinidad," said Darrell who was invited back into the national team fold earlier this month.
"Often I think they've been guilty of looking past us and not giving us the respect we deserve.
"We went down to Trinidad in 1988 when I was coach and got a draw and a win. We also beat them in the semi-final of the 1967 Pan Am Games when I was playing.
"For some reason we always seem to achieve good results against them. When I've been directly involved with the national team we've never lost to them – hopefully we can keep it going."
The former Washington Diplomats midfielder is under no illusions of the difficulty of task ahead with Bermuda needing to prevent Trinidad from beating them by two clear goals in order to progress to the next stage.
Last Sunday's first leg has already been hailed as the shock of the round and Darrell, who masterminded Bermuda's best ever World Cup run in 1992, is adamant the team can conjure up another magical result.
"I would put that victory very high in our all-time list. To beat a team of that calibre on the road is a great achievement," he said.
"We were prepared to settle for a draw or a narrow defeat so to come out with a victory was a massive boost for us."
If Bermuda are to complete their staggering mission and knock-out the 2006 World Cup finalists, Darrell believes they will need more attacking invention from their midfielders and high profile winger Khano Smith.
"I think we will certainly have to be better than we were on Sunday," he said.
"You can't fault anybody for their effort and I think Kenny's (Thompson) game plan was spot on.
"I think Khano (Smith) could have given us a bit more; the same applies to Kwame (Steede) and Keishen (Bean). I think our midfield in particular needs to be quite a bit better.
"But if we can match the effort we put in and improve on the areas we have identified then we can make it happen. It will certainly be a tall order though."
Two-goal hero John Barry Nusum took part in light training yesterday and is still a doubt for Sunday's match due to the hamstring injury he picked up in the first leg. Darrell has his fingers crossed that Nusum will be passed fit and reckons the striker is in the best form of his career.
"The last three games have been the best I've seen John," he said. "He's got back to playing outdoor football after finishing his indoor season and he was excellent against Barbados in the second game. On Sunday I thought he was terrific as well. He has established the kind of fitness he needs for the outdoor game and is in great form."
Mussenden hits back at media in Trinidad.
By Colin Thompson.
Bermuda Football Association (BFA) commander-in-chief Larry Mussenden hit back at the Trinidadian media yesterday in the wake of their "unfair" criticism of the Island's senior national football team who beat the Soca Warriors 2-1 in the first leg of a World Cup qualifier in Trinidad last weekend.
Among the main culprits were the Trinidad Express, Newsday and Guardian who were all highly critical of Bermuda's performance and went as far as to label Kenny Thompson's bunch as "pudgy, substandard and poor".
"I'm disappointed by their criticism because they seemed to have focussed on the quality of the Bermuda team that won the match," Mussenden said.
"I would've thought their commentators would've focussed more on the Trinidadian team, which some of them did do.
"I think the criticism of the Bermuda team was unfair because we had the ball in the back of the net (twice) and did what we had to on the road in their own back yard."
Mussenden was on hand to witness Bermuda's famous win last Sunday and reckons the hosts' decision to reschedule the match to the smaller confines of the Marvin Lee Stadium at the last minute actually worked against the home team who were rocked on their heels by a John Barry Nusum brace.
"It was a smaller stadium that wasn't sold out and I think the decision to switch the match to that stadium worked in our favour from an atmosphere point of view," he added.
"I'm quite pleased with the result and very happy for the team and the coaches and I salute their efforts.
"The team performed well and had no issues at all and have returned to Bermuda in a commanding position."
Bermuda and Trinidad will lock horns in the second leg of their World Cup qualifier at a sold out National Sports Centre (NSC) on Sunday where Mussenden has again declared all out war against the Triny insurgents.
"Literally, it's a full scale war and so we ask every Bermudian to give their all to make sure we win," he said. "It will be a tall order because Trinidad are coming for war as well.
"They know what they have to do and are coming here quite prepared to do it.
"So our fans have got to make the National Sports Centre our fortress. Our fans need to create an environment of support for the Bermuda team."
Big match a sell out.
By Nadia Arandjelovic.
People line-up outside the BFA office on Cedar Avenue to buy tickets for Sunday's World Cup qualifier clash between Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago. All 4,500 tickets were sold.
Photo Tamell Simons
Hordes of fans lined up yesterday to get tickets for Bermuda's football match against Trinidad on Sunday, which is being anticipated as one of the biggest sporting events on the Island in years. <
Those who turned out early were not disappointed but by late afternoon the match was completely sold out. By 10.30 yesterday morning the grandstand was sold out and by 4.10 p.m. all 4,500 tickets had gone.
Anticipation for the match grew stronger after Kenny Thompson's Bermuda team was victorious against Trinidad and Tobago last Sunday — the upcoming match will therefore determine which team goes on to the group stage of the World Cup, explained Ian Rawlins, the Bermuda Football Association's public relations officer.
"The interesting thing is this — in 2006 Trinidad was the smallest country to ever qualify for the World Cup; they had a 1.2 million population. Bermuda's population is 60,000 — so you do the math. A country of 60,000 people in the World Cup it's big, it's really huge," he said.
He admitted he had rarely seen people coming out in "droves" to buy tickets. In addition, the BFA already sold out of jerseys for the game.
The Royal Gazette talked to supporters yesterday — some of whom waited more than an hour to get their tickets, others waited out in the rain just to get a chance to support their home team.
Leslie-Ann Rochester was waiting in line to support Bermuda and predicted that "Bermuda is going to win because we are going to go out there and make some noise.
"I'm going to be hoarse on Monday going to work."
Troy Burrows, 45, admits he has been a football fan practically since birth.
"I've always loved football, but this is a special game and everyone should come out and support," he said.
"At the previous qualifier everyone there was excited.
"The atmosphere was great and I think it's going to be the same this time around."
Doors open for the match at 6 p.m.
