Irish footballers face tough TT in Tobago

TOBAGO: Northern Ireland will undoubtedly face their toughest challenge when they meet Trinidad and Tobago in their final tour match at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Tobago tonight. Having secured a 1-1 draw with Barbados in Bridgetown and beaten St Kitts and Nevis 2-0 at Warner Park on Wednesday, the Irish are eager to prove their worth against the Caribbean’s second-ranked team. But boss Laurie Sanchez admits it will not be easy to beat the Trinis in their own backyard. “We know it is going to be a tough match,” Sanchez said. “Trinidad and Tobago are ranked higher than us in the FIFA rankings and they will want to come out and play very hard to win the match.

“We want to win as well. We are now on a four-match unbeaten streak and we want to extend that but I’m sure that we’re going to face a stiff challenge.” Preston’s David Healy has been the most impressive player on display since Northern Ireland arrived in the Caribbean. Against St Kitts and Nevis, he came on as a substitute and transformed the match, with some neat passing, good running on and off the ball and quality shooting.He scored the opening goal and set up the second to complete a wonderful night on the park.

And he is just a goal away from equalling the Northern Ireland scoring record and he will be looking to hit that mark against Trinidad and Tobago. However, the hosts are also eager to win the fixture following their recent 4-1 defeat by Scotland, and one of their most revered players, Dwight Yorke, may yet join the squad to try and add some quality up front. Trinidad and Tobago will definitely have the services of a number of overseas-based players, as Shaka Hislop, Arnold Dwarika, Anthony Rougier, Cornell Glenn, Carlos Edwards, Dennis “Tallest” Lawrence and Brent Sancho are all in the line-up for the match.