Rutherford stresses no automatic places in final team
- as GFF invites overseas-based players for trials
By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
February 2, 2004
The senior national football squad is poised to be strengthened with the inclusion of five overseas-based players but Guyana Football Federation General Secretary George Rutherford has warned that only those who perform will be selected to represent Guyana.
Defenders Abassy McPherson and Charles `Lily' Pollard, strikers Randolph Jerome and Cary Harris and goalkeeper Richard Reynolds will be flown into Guyana at the expense of the GFF to participate in trials being conducted by technical director Neider Dos Santos.
The five, who all play professional football, will join 26 others selected to train for the World Cup Qualifiers.
GFF Organising Secretary Aubrey `Shanghai' Major said yesterday that Rutherford will tomorrow be sending a letter to the Trinidad authorities for the release of Jerome, McPherson, Pollard and Harris.
A communiquè has already been sent to the Suriname authorities for the release of Reynolds.
Jerome is the leading goal scorer in the last professional league in Trinidad and Tobago while the lanky Reynolds was the best goalkeeper on show in the last Kashif and Shanghai competition.
Pollard, the last senior national captain, is rated one of the best defenders in the Trinidad professional league and was given high credit by assistant Trinidad national coach Jamal Shabbaz while here in December.
The inclusion of the five is being seen as a serious step towards getting past the first round of the World Cup Qualifiers. At present midfielders Kayode McKinnon and Neil Hernandez and defender Howard Lowe are the overseas-based players in the squad.
Guyana is set to play Grenada on February 28 in the Spice Island in the first game of a home-and-away tie. In the last six games played between the two nations Grenada has won three, two matches were drawn and Guyana won the other.
The return match is fixed for Guyana on March 14. Major said that all five are potential assets to the team and applauded the effort of the GFF in securing the players.
He added that should all go well the players should be in Guyana before next week. When contacted Rutherford stressed that no one has an automatic place in the final team.
He stated that despite the credentials of the five they will have to undergo the same training as the others.
The General Secretary reiterated that only those who survive the rigorous training and development programme run twice daily by Dos Santos at UG and Camptown grounds, will be included in the team to represent Guyana.