TT U-19s ready for Anguilla

TRINIDAD AND Tobago’s Under-19 women football team should be wary of an Anguillan backlash in their second leg CONCACAF Women’s Under-19 World Cup qualifier, scheduled for the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya, Tunapuna, on Sunday from 3 pm. The TT lasses inflicted a 5-0 whipping on Anguilla at Ronald Webster Park, Anguilla, on Sunday last courtesy of a hat-trick from striker Maylee Attin-Johnson and one apiece from Jamilia Mathlin and Kermica Alexander.

According to the president of the Anguilla Football Association Raymond Guishard, “We will give you a run for your money in Trinidad.” Stressing that his organisation has paid particular emphasis on the women’s sport Guishard added, “The women are the showcase team of our Association. This programme started just over 18 months ago and the girls have shown tremendous commitment. “The public and corporate Anguilla has been very supportive of this team and the fact that we had been previously unbeaten contributed to the massive turnout for last Sunday’s game. The 2,000 people that turned out to support the game were a record for attendance in a football game on the island,” revealed Guishard. Anguillan skipper Jaynelle Lake admitted that her team-mates were overawed by the moment. “To be honest we had not come up against such talent before and I think we allowed ourselves to be distracted by the skill of the Trinidadian players. They really caught us by surprise and our ball possession was not good at all,” she stressed.

But TT head coach Jamaal Shabazz has promised no let-up for Anguilla, declaring that his players will be going for the jugular this weekend. “The Anguillans are a gritty lot but they have some way to go still before they can even talk about beating teams like Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica or Haiti.” Shabazz continued, “a lot of work has gone into our development programme particular in the area of fitness and technique yet we still get our blowouts when we meet the likes of USA, Canada and Mexico. “So these Caribbean teams will have to go through that process and take their blows when they meet us. In football big fishes, eat little fishes like T&T. But little fishes like us will have to eat seaweed. Unfortunately Anguilla falls into that category,” noted the long-standing women’s team tactician.