BY NIGEL SIMON
Trinidad Guardian
T&T midfielder CARLOS EDWARDS (second from left) has the attention of teammates KENWYNE JONES (background) NIGEL HENRY, SILVIO SPANN and JERREN NIXON during the team’s training session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo yesterday. This was in preparation for tomorrow’s CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica at the same venue.
Photo: Shirley Bahadur Dallas Burn striker Cornell Glen has been brought into the T&T team for the CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo on Wednesday. Glen was due back home last night, after passing a medical test following an ankle injury, which forced him to miss Saturday’s match in which T&T was defeated 5-1 by Guatemala.
In addition to Glen, CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh defender Keyeno Thomas and midfielders Arnold Dwarika, Densil Theobald, Marlon Rojas and Jerren Nixon were involved in the team’s training session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium yesterday, under coach Bertille St Clair and technical director Lincoln “Tiger” Phillips.
But the Warriors are expected to be without sturdy Glasgow Rangers defender Marvin “Dog” Andrews for an extended period. Andrews sustained cruciate ligament damage to his left knee during his team’s 2-0 Scottish Premier League win over Dundee last week and has been advised to undergo surgery on the knee. However, the T&T defender—a devout Christian and believer in faith healing—has told Rangers he will play with the pain instead of undergoing surgery. The injury not only forced Andrews to miss Rangers’ CIS Insurance Cup final which the team won from Motherwell last week, but caused Andrews to miss the match against Guatemala.
While the absence of Andrews and Ian Cox (hamstring injury) was surely missed, assistant coach David Nakhid— a second-half substitute in the match in Guatemala—feels otherwise. Speaking at the team’s training session yesterday Nakhid said: “It’s going to be a long campaign—10 matches over eight months—and injuries will happen, so we have to cope with the injuries how we can. “We have conceded seven goals in two matches, which means we need to work harder defensively and take our chances at the other end.”
Reflecting on the match against Guatemala, team captain Dwight Yorke stated: “Everyone involved in the football is not feeling good at the moment but you have got to look at the positive side, meaning that we can change things around starting from the next game on Wednesday (tomorrow). “We have to pick ourselves up to ensure that we can bounce back quickly or else we can find ourselves in a very critical position. “The work ethic must remain the same and even though we conceded so many goals away from home we must continue to stay strong as a team. “It’s very hard to describe how hard it is for us but as an experienced player, I have got to try and help as best as I can in this time.” Yorke added.
“Looking at us from an attacking point of view; we obviously didn’t look too bad—certainly not as the scoreline indicated, because we failed to convert at crucial points. Every time we looked like we were going to change things around, we just end up being knocked back,” Yorke said.
Asked what the scenario could be if there was a change at the helm of the team, Yorke responded:
“As a player, you never want to see something of that nature; but whether we like it or not the people in higher places will make a decision as they see it. “We as professional players just need to keep doing what we are here to do and maintain that focus of trying to achieve that ultimate goal,” Yorke ended.
The T&T team will hold its final training session today from 4.30 pm while the Costa Ricans, who arrived yesterday, will also train today at the match venue.
T&T’s team:
Shaka Hislop, Nigel Henry, Anton Pierre, Brent Sancho, Dennis Lawrence, Leslie Fitzpatrick, Hector Sam, Dwight Yorke, Angus Eve, Carlos Edwards, Stern John, Kenwyne Jones, Nigel Pierre, Silvio Spann, Clayton Ince, Marlon Rojas, Atiba Charles, Cornell Glen, Arnold Dwarika, Densil Theobald, Jerren Nixon.
