Warriors leave for Jamaica today
...Edwards happy for appreciation
T&T Express Reports.
Carlos Edwards has already packed his bags ahead of his flight to Port of Spain this Thursday, but has sent a message that he still has the legs to keep on representing the Red,White and Black.
The 35-year-old Ipswich Town player has been invited along with Chris Birchall to line up for Trinidad and Tobago in the November 19 friendly international at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
In a gesture by national team head coach Stephen Hart, local fans will have the chance to show their appreciation for Edwards and Birchall, who has officially announced his retirement.
Edwards will be arriving home on Thursday but wants his fans to know that he hasn’t retired from the international game and will still be available to play for T&T in the future once he falls into the plans of the coach.
“I was surprised but I’m happy that the Association sees it fit to offer the opportunity to Chris and myself to play before the home fans. I’m not getting any younger but at the same time, I’m still playing at a relatively high level and I intend to keep playing. I still want to offer my services to the national team of Trinidad and Tobago” Edwards told TTFA Media on Sunday.
“It was always my intention to keep on playing. I played the whole Gold Cup and I missed the entire preseason for my clubs so I decided it might be a good time to take a back seat from international football for a little while. But I don’t intend to call it quits just yet.
I think I still have something to offer in terms of helping the team and helping the younger players to develop with the experience that I have now. We have to build for the future and I’d like to be part of the it,” added the former Defence Force and St Anthony’s College player.
Edwards added that he hopes to link up with his 2006 teammates at some point in the future.
“I always love playing against Jamaica and I think this will be a good, competitive match on the 19th. But for me, the real occasion will be lining up with the boys from the 2006 squad before the home crowd. I feel special in a way to have this game on the 19th but you look at players like Dwight Yorke and Dennis Lawrence, it would be lovely to do it with them at some time in the future.”
Meantime, the T&T 18-man squad will depart for Montego Bay this morning with some of the overseas-based players meeting the local contingent there. T&T and Jamaica will meet in the first of two friendlies on Friday night.