Under-23s to form spine of senior squad
-training to start soon for World Cup qualifiers
By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
November 25, 2003
The members of the national Under-23 football team will form the nucleus of the senior national squad to prepare for next year's World Cup qualifiers.
Guyana Football Federa-tion Technical Director, Neider Dos Santos made the disclosure on Sunday, moments after the Under-23s were ejected from the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifier.
He added that there was a possibility that the squad would make up more than half of the senior team which will start training in January.
The Under-23s won three matches against St Lucia, one against Barbados and another against Trinidad and Tobago prior to facing Costa Rica in a home-and-away tie which they lost by a 10-1 aggregate.
"I think that they will make up 60 to 80 per cent of the team. Of course that depends a lot on how the seniors perform."
The Technical Director explained that the Under-23s would remain encamped until the first week in December, then take a break for Christmas.
Dos Santos said that the younger side would be joined by 27 senior nationals and all would vie for places on the senior team. Dos Santos said that the list of seniors includes several overseas-based players.
The list of locally based players includes three goalkeepers in Marlon Hendricks, Rolex Scott and Shawn Johnson. Orville Bobb, Leslie Holligan, Shawn Bishop, Lester Peters,Adrian Reid Neville Stanton and Delon Fraser are the defenders.
Members of the midfield are, Elroy Parks, Carl Cole, Eron Hayde, Lance Raulston, Shawn Arthur, Ronald Joseph, Alton Fraser and Tishard Joseph.
The strikers are made up of Raul Gittens, Delon Glenn, Sherwin Vincent, Nigel Codrington and Dexter Bentick. The overseas-based players will be drawn from Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
Midfielder Kayode McKinnon and Cary Harris will return from semi-professional contract in the Twin Island Republic for possible national duties. National captain Charles Pollard , Howard Lowe, Randolph Jerome, Abassy McPherson and Troy Richards, who play in Trinidad did not find favour with the selectors.
Neil Hernandes and Anthony Abrams are the playersd to return from Suriname to join the senior national squad.
Dos Santos confirmed that practice matches would commence within the next 48 hours when the Under-23s would come up against the seniors.
Warning that discipline would be rigidly enforced Dos Santos said: "We will be having matches played between the seniors and the Under-23s. The first one is expected to be played on Wednesday(tomorrow)."
Dos Santos announced that following a series of practice matches a 26-member senior national squad will be named on December 4. The players will take a break from training for Christmas and return on January 15.