TT in CONCACAF Olympics finals

TRINIDAD and Tobago Under-23 footballers advanced to the final round of qualification, in the CONCACAF region, for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. This after whipping Grenada 3-0 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, on Wednesday night for a 4-1 aggregate scoreline. The teams battled to a 1-1 draw at the National Stadium, St George’s, Grenada, on Saturday last. Final qualification series will be staged in Mexico from February 2-12 with the top two teams booking their tickets to Greece. Under muddy conditions created by an afternoon downpour, the TT lads went ahead after just four minutes.

Following  a left-side centre by Kerry Baptiste across the face of the goal, striker Devon Mitchell squared the ball into the path of Kendall Davis who shot home from ten metres out. And the crowd went into further uproar when Mitchell got TT’s second in the 10th, heading a Lyndon Diaz free-kick past goalkeeper Ken Searles. Kenwyne Jones came close in the 44th, when his shot from a Devon Caseman pass was cleared by the defence, but Baptiste’s goal in the 56th  minute, proved to be the final nail in the coffin of  the visitors. A Josh Johnson right side lob slipped out of the grasp of Searles and Baptiste was on hand to calmly slot the ball into the open goal. Trinidad and Tobago were allowed to do as they please against Grenada, who adopted a defensive approach from start to finish. Mitchell should have scored in the 62nd minute, but his first-time shot from a Davis square pass from the left went wide. Mitchell was replaced by Jason Marcano in the 70th, but one of the T&T Pro League Under-20 leading scorers had three glaring misses in the dying stages.

Escaping the Grenadian offside trap,  he saw his 84th minute shot blocked by the advancing Searles while, after an enterprising build-up between Davis and substitute Michael Celestine, Marcano saw his 88th minute attempt cleared by defender Marc Marshall. And his misery continued in stoppage time, this time sent clear by Celestine, he could only look on in agony as his chip attempt sailed wide of the
mark.

Teams: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Jan-Michael Williams; Ronald Primus, Lyndon Diaz, Kenwyne Jones, Nigel Daniel; Devon Caseman, Silvio Spann (capt) (Michael Celestine 79th), Josh Johnson, Kerry Baptiste (Kevon Clement 75th); Devon Mitchell (Jason Marcano 70th), Kendall Davis.
GRENADA: Ken Searles; Richardson Ettienne (Dwayne Leo 70th), Jason James, Lonne Alexis Alister Fleming (Shane Renne 59th); Kerry Bristow, Ashton Henry, Marc Marshall, Ricky Morris (capt); Kithson Bain, Aaron Smith (Ian Perrotte 60th).