Britto teams up with Winchester as Connection boasts youthful squad
ttproleague.comTrinidad and Tobago U20 teammates Shahdon Winchester and Jerrel Britto are now W Connection teammates for the upcoming 2011-2012 Digicel Pro League Championship which kicks off on Friday 26 August at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Winchester 19, a product of the W Connection academy and a recent regular with the clubs senior team, is believed to have played a pivotal role in Britto’s choice of club this season.
Britto also 19, who played through the youth ranks of Connection’s archrivals San Juan Jabloteh and was a member of that club’s senior team, became a free agent in February 2011 after parting ways with the three-time Pro League Champions.
But it was not until July that the forward expressed his full desire to join Connection.
“I see Britto more as a specialist goalscorer and I think he will definitely help us in that aspect of our game,” said Connection coach Stuart Charles Fevrier.
“He(Britto) has always been one of the quality youngsters on the island. And we saw him as a plus in joining our club.”
Fevrier squad this season includes promoted teenagers Neil Benjamin, Aden Noel, Kellon Alexander and Jamal John. While 18 yearold Jomal Williams and 20 yearold Jelani Grosvnor are coming in from Trendsetter Hawks and Defence Force.
“It’s a very, very young squad,” said W Connection owner/president David John Williams on this season’s additions.
“It’s not necessary the result, but the performance on the pitch will speak for itself,” he assured.
Meantime Fevrier said, “They definitely will be part of the senior squad, but more on a development system. They are players that we are looking at closely. We were impressed by their attitudes towards the game and their level of play and decided to make them part of the senior team set-up.”
“We are very positive (based on the bunch of players we have),” continued the Connection coach. “However we are not putting a lot of pressure on the players although our ambitions remain the same in winning every competition that we participate in. We are just going to work with them on playing good football the W Connection way and develop as players.”
Veteran St. Lucian defender and Connection captain Elijah Joseph has committed himself for another season, while T&T internationals Kern Cupid Hughton Hector, Matthew Bartholomew, Hashim Arcia, Kemuel Rivers, Kerron Cummings, Akeem Benjamin, Mekeil Williams, Joevin Jones, Shahdon Winchester and Zaine Pierre are also in this season’s squad. Former Connection youth players Andre Quashie and goalkeeper Aquilius Sylvester returned to the club from Joe Public and FC SouthEnd respectively.
