Under-23 players to form nucleus of World Cup senior team
… GFF calls 27 seniors to trial
By Isaiah Chappelle
Guyana Chronicle
November 25, 2003
AFTER a good performance in the Olympic qualifying series, the National Under-23 players will form the nucleus of the senior National team that will prepare for the World Cup qualifying series next year.
Technical Director Neider Dos Santos lauded the performance of his charges, although they lost both matches in the second round tie with Costa Rica.
Dos Santos pointed out that in just five months of preparation, the Under-23 players rose to the level with Caribbean powerhouse Trinidad & Tobago.
“We could now play with Trinidad & Tobago in equal manner,” Dos Santos told Chronicle Sport.
The technical director also pointed out that no goals were conceded in the last half of the return leg at Blairmont ground on Sunday.
“The two last goals were two silly mistakes which could have been avoided. And when you play against professionals, they capitalise on any mistake. But we played good,” Dos Santos asserted.
Dos Santos disclosed he would be keeping the squad in camp until December 1, during which time senior players called by the Guyana Football Federation would meet them in trial matches -- the first tomorrow at the Turkeyen Campus playfield.
“The Under-23 will be the nucleus of the team, which will be strengthened with some seniors. It is my expectation that 60 to 80 per cent of the Under-23 players will be in the senior team. I could be wrong,” Dos Santos said.
The technical director declared that the seniors would have to prove that they were better than the Under-23 players to gain a place. And should any have equal ability with the Under-23 players, he would choose the Under-23 players because those players would have youth in their favour.
Dos Santos disclosed that he foresaw that the senior would take up the weak points of the Under-23 squad.
“But I will not point it out now because the Under-23 did a good job and I don’t want to overshadow their achievement. Costa Rica was good exposure and we cannot stop the momentum now,” Dos Santos said.
The technical director said the Under-23 players that did not make the senior team would be kept as an emergency pool, to fill gaps created by injury and indiscipline. He had kept the National Under-17 players in such a role, with Dwight Peters and Carlos Monkhouse, among others being inserted into the Under-23 squad.
Dos Santos disclosed that the GFF gave him a list of 22 local senior players and 12 overseas-based for the trials.
The GFF, yesterday, released the names for the trial matches fixed for tomorrow, Friday, next Monday and next week Wednesday. All matches are scheduled for the Turkeyen Campus playfield from 16:00 hrs each day.
Players called are: goalkeepers Marlon Hendricks, Rollex Scott and Shawn Johnson; defenders Shawn Bishop, Orville Bobb, Delon Fraser, Leslie Holligan, Lester Peters, Adrian Reid and Neville Stanton; mid-fielders Shawn Arthur, Carl Cole, Alton Fraser, Carey Harris, Eron Hayde, Neil Hernandez, Ronald Joseph, Tischard Joseph, Elroy Parks, Lance Rolston and Kayode McKinnon; strikers Anthony Abrams, Dexter Bentick, Nigel Codrington, Rawle Gittens, Delon Glen and Sherwin Vincent.
These players are requested to report to the venue for 15:30 hrs on the days of the trials.
The GFF also stated that players who thought they deserved to be called and were not, could contact Competition Coordinator Lawrence Griffith on telephone numbers, 227-87-58, 225-2096, 621-6986 or at the GFF office in Bel Air Park, Georgetown.