TRINI footballers have first training stint in UK

TRINIDAD and Tobago footballers had their first training session at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre, Shropshire, England. Coach Bertille St Clair and 10 local-based professionals were joined by new English-born 19-year-old midfielder Andre Boucaud who had is first session with the squad having just signed a new contract with Second Division club Peterborough. Coach Bertille St Clair’s men will be based at Lilleshall until today before moving to a venue closer to the West Bromwich Stadium where the match against Iraq is scheduled on Sunday.

The Iraqi team was expected to arrive in England yesterday and the hype continues to grow over what will be their first international friendly since the American invasion a year ago. “This is an ideal facility for preparing a national team. Not only is it away from busy activities but the conditions and facilities here are up to par,” St Clair said. He said: “I have stressed to the players that this is no holiday for us. These two games against Iraq and Scotland are for us to measure our strengths and weaknesses and also prepare for the opening qualifier against Dominican Republic on June 13.”

Livingston defender Marvin Andrews and Dundee’s Brent Sancho were expected to join the team yesterday along with Birmingham City striker Stern John who is nursing a slight hamstring injury. Wrexham duo Dennis Lawrence and Carlos Edwards along with China-based midfielder Arnold Dwarika and Shaka Hislop, Ian Cox, Cornell Glenn and Clayton Ince are expected to hook-up with the squad on today. Meanwhile, Iraq’s German-born coach Bernd Stange is confident his team will perform well against Trinidad and Tobago and also go on to qualify for World Cup 2006. The Iraq Under-23 team have already booked a place at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.