World Cup football qualifier…
Guyana still to name team for uphill task
… Technical Director remains confident of victory
By Isaiah Chappelle
Guyana Chronicle
March 14, 2004
GUYANA go into the return leg of the World Cup qualifying series at Blairmont Community Centre ground, today, with a Herculean task of beating Grenada at least 5-0 in the first instance, but the team will be named this morning.
Technical Director Neider Dos Santos, yesterday, declined to name the players explaining two of them have to pass a fitness test.
All 26 players, encamped to prepare for the home-and-away series, were in New Amsterdam for the weekend, including a new goalkeeper.
Dos Santos disclosed that the squad was plagued with injuries, but just two were still doubtful, thus the test.
He said Orlando Carew of Netrockers joined the squad on Thursday, to work along with goalkeeper Andrew Durant, who was the reserve for the first match.
What is certain, however, is the team will be without creative midfielder Neil Hernandez who walked off the camp, following disciplinary measures taken after the warm-up match against Trinidad & Tobago.
Also, the number one goalkeeper Marlon Hendricks who was red-carded in the first leg in Grenada and could not play today, was kicked out of the camp, while replacement Rollox Scott walked out on Tuesday.
However, Dos Santos is still confident of pulling off victory over the formidable Grenada side that boasts eight overseas-based professional players.
“We have improved in the last four or five days. The task is very difficult. Of course, I’m aware of that, but it is possible to pull off a victory. We have to be lucky in key moments. We go to play today to qualify.”
Guyana went down 5-0 in the first leg in Grenada, but Dos Santos maintained that the difference between the two teams was no way five.
In fact the two teams had a keen tussle in the first 25 minutes of play, but poor marking, according to captain Shawn Beveney, resulted in Grenada’s strikers getting away, and they were accurate in converting, unlike Guyana’s forwards who, according to former Grenada national coach on radio, were playing selfishly. And when there was a good chance, Gregory Richardson and Randolph Jerome could not find the target.
Guyana’s poor finishing was repeated in the warm-up match in the Twin Island Republic, with Richardson and Jerome throwing away sitters.
The locals again had an 80 per cent possession after the resumption, but Grenada’s strikers were getting away from the injured Orlando Jilgeous, which resulted in Hendricks being red-carded trying to prevent a sure goal. After then, the match became a nightmare for Guyana, according to Dos Santos.
Now Guyana must win the first 90 minutes 5-0 to force extra time play, or they must win 6-0 or seven clear goals in any other combination.
Grenada are oozing with confidence, with coach Allister De Bellotte indirectly predicting a greater margin victory.
“I don’t like to predict scores. We score as many as we can. Unfortunately we did not do that in Grenada for the first leg. We could have scored more. This time, we are going to score as many as we could.”
The squad has four players from the United Kingdom (UK), two from the USA and one from Jamaica. They are captain Anthony Modeste (Jamaica); defender Tony Bedeau (UK); midfielder Shalkie Joseph (USA), Dwane Lee (UK) and Byron Bubb (UK); and strikers Ricky Charles (USA), Jason Roberts (UK) and Darrel Cox (UK).
Coach De Bellotte told Chronicle Sport: “The professional players have a great impact on the team. They bring a high level of professional. Their individual skills are much higher, so the amateur players are brought to their level. The locals lift their games to the level of these guys.”
Kick-off time is 15:00 hrs.