TT no pushovers says captain

TRINIDAD and Tobago footballers are better prepared to challenge their Venezuelan counterparts in a friendly international tomorrow at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. This is the opinion of national coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier and captain Reynold Carrington, fresh from a successful tour of southern AfricaThe rejuvenated 22-member squad went into camp yesterday at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence, Macoya, Tunapuna, in preparation for the encounter. Kick-off is at 6 pm. Charles-Fevrier held two practice sessions with the squad — a morning stint at the Hasely Crawford Stadium and an evening warm-up at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva. He noted that yesterday’s morning session “went fine” and he had “no problems at all” with the team. But the 49-year-old coach revealed that his staff, including assistants Jamaal Shabazz, Ross Russell and Brian Williams need to improve on keeping more ball-possession. “I only see the players once or twice a week,” he continued yesterday. “Also, we want to improve our combination play in attack, that’s something we’re trying to address.”  “So far, we’re doing very well in training,” he added.

The Venezuelans were due to arrive in Trinidad last night and will be based at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. Both teams will have their final practice sessions at the Hasely Crawford Stadium today, with the South Americans fine-tuning their skills from 3.30 pm and the TT team from 5 pm. The TT players are cautious in their approach to upcoming international outings as they seek to re-establish themselves as a powerhouse in the region. Charles-Fevrier will have his first match on local soil as head coach and while hoping for the best possible result. “We are remaining quietly optimistic. I won’t get carried away with the way things are going. We are still in the building process and this match is a further challenge for myself and the team. It’s allowing us to keep an eye on the upcoming players like Kester Cornwall (Starworld Strikers) and the other boys,” Charles- Fevrier said. “We are looking to carry on where we left off in southern Africa where I thought things went very positive for us.  I will like to encourage all of Trinidad and Tobago to come out and give the team their support,” he added.

The St Lucian-born coach said he was sure to include  Stern John in the starting team alongside either Wrexham’s Hector Sam or Joe Public’s Nigel Pierre. Both Pierre and Sam started in TT’s recent outing against South Africa, but with the Birmingham City striker now available, Charles-Fevrier said his choice was obvious. “Stern and Dennis (Lawrence) have blended in well. I expect them to add some level of maturity to our performance. The spirit in the camp remains high at the moment and everything seems to be in order,” he said. Carrington meantime, who also skippered the team in April’s 3-0 loss to Venezuela in San Cristobal, added his team will pose a different challenge for the visitors this time around. “This is another good opportunity for the guys to get the exposure at the international level. The experienced guys like Stern and Dennis also makes it attractive for us,” he said. “We want to be able to get the country to come behind us so we hope we can put in a good performance on the evening. This time around I can assure you the Venezuelans will have a difficult time against us,” Carrington said. Richard Piper will be the officiating referee with Michael Ragoonath and  Joseph Taylor as his assistants. Admission is $20 for covered stands and $10 for uncovered.

TT squad: Reynold Carrington, Derek King, Keyeno Thomas, Trent Noel, Hector Sam, Carlos Edwards, Dennis Lawrence, Dale Saunders, Silvio Spann, Kurt Williams, Ian Gray, Kerry Baptiste, Derek King, Nigel Daniel, Kendall Davis, Stern John, Jan Michael Williams, Peter Ramon Fortune, Josh Johnson, Nigel Pierre, Kester Cornwall and Anthony Wolfe.

Venezuela squad: Luis Vera, Gabriel Urdaneta, Luis Vallenilla (Caracas FC), Ricardo Paez, Giovanny Perez, Javier Villafraz (Estudiantes de Merida), Leonel Vielma, Juan Garcia (Maracaibo FC), Leopoldo Jiminez (Mineros De Guayana), Daniel Noreiga, Cristan Casseres, Wilfredo Alvarado, Javier Campos (DVO Italchacao FC), Gilberto Angelucci (DVO Tachira FC), Juan Arango  (Pachuca FC), Jorge Rojas (Emelec), Manuel Sanhouse (Espoli), Alejandro Chichero (CD Cerro).