Dennis Lawrence destined to football glory

Five years later, he headed his country into footballing glory via a 1-0 victory over Bahrain, enabling the smallest nation to secure a spot in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Stretching back to the year 2000, the raw defender played arguably the most crucial game of his life against the CONCACAF power house at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. But he did not disappoint Scottish Coach Ian Porterfield.

Instead, he stood out the challenge extended to him exceptionally well, breaking down their attacking aggressive formation and winning the aerial balls from the short Mexicans, also repeatedly rendering their top strikers, Cauhtemoc Blanco, Luis “El Matador” Hernandez, and Jared Borgetti, powerless and ineffective. As a consequence, he enabled his country to preserve a shocking 1-0 victory, the goal scored by Russell Latapy leading up to the 2002 World Cup qualifier.

The 2001 MVP Copa Caribe player has every reason to be grateful to Porterfield who extended his hand to him at the time when many people thought otherwise.

Since then the Wrexham FC defender has never looked back. Partnering Marvin Andrews in central defence, he is now a pillar in that position and a key member in the national football team.

Often, the English-based player, is used in set plays maximising the use of his aerial prowess and has a passion to move forward into midfield building up the attacks.

His brilliant solo effort in the 2-0 victory over Panama restored and inspired a new sense of hope to the nation that was languishing at the bottom of the table with a solitary point.

Undoubtedly, the central defender has played a critical role in getting the Soca Warriors to the greatest football event in the globe.

Although the World Cup will end, the goal he scored against Bahrain on November 17, 2005 which has conquered the hearts and minds of thousands of people in Trinidad and Tobago and throughout the Caribbean region, will always be ingrained in the memories of every citizen forever.