TT get first victory for Beenhakker

TRINIDAD AND Tobago squandered a litany of goal-scoring opportunities, but, in the end, earned a 4-0 triumph over Bermuda in a friendly football international at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, on Wednesday evening. The victory was the first for coach Leo Beenhakker after losses to North East Stars and Alianza Lima on the last two consecutive Wednesdays. But one major worry for Beenhakker will be the form of striker Stern John, who wasted numerous chances against a team ranked 159th in the world.

John will later redeem himself by getting the team’s fourth goal in the 65th minute, after a 34th minute own goal, and strikes from Kenwyne Jones (47th) and Dennis Lawrence (52nd). Leslie ‘Tiger’ Fitzpatrick got TT’s first opportunity at goal in the 13th, when his right-footed effort sailed wide off the mark while, a minute later, a counter-attack involving midfielders Chris Birchall and Carlos Edwards led to another chance, with John’s back-heel effort saved by Nigel Burgess. An unmarked Jones collected a Fitzpatrick left-side centre in the 20th but the striker volleyed wide while, in the 25th, John, in the six-yard box. received a right-side cross from David Atiba Charles and, with Burgess at his mercy, sent his shot overbar. John again spurned an opportunity in the 31st — fed by Jones, he drilled his effort wide.

But the Bermudans were unable to withstand the bombardment from the hosts, with a sliding attempted clearance by defender Kofi Dill in vain as he, under pressure by John, tapped in an Edwards’ cross into his own net. Jones muffed two chances in the space of three minutes — in the 42nd he evaded a defender and powered his 30-metre drive wide while, in the 44th, he headed an Edwards’ freekick past the uprights. Persistence paid for the 20-year-old Jones, as he collected a through ball from Edwards and, under little pressure from fullback Kentoine Jennings, slotted home past a flat-footed Burgess.

John saw his 51st minute lob cleared by Maurice Lowe but Lawrence widened the lead to 3-0 a minute later, shooting home in a goalmouth scramble following a Birchall corner. John, in his first international fixture for two months, seemed totally surprised as he broke an offside trap in the 58th, collected a cross from Edwards and, to the dismay of the estimated 2,500 crowd, placed his shot wide off the post. The fans expected Gary Glasgow to replace John in the 62nd, but Beenhakker kept faith with John and took off Jones instead. John justified the coach’s decision three minutes later when he took an Edwards’ pass and calmly lobbed Burgess.

Glasgow missed two goalscoring chances — in the 75th he got a pass from Edwards but drilled his right-footer against the crossbar and, in the 84th, he sped past Dill and Jennings but saw his shot blocked by substitute goalie Daniel Johnson. Both teams will meet each other today at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, from 6 pm.

Teams: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Clayton Ince (capt); Anton Pierre, Dennis Lawrence, David Atiba Charles, Marlon Rojas (Glenton Wolfe 46th); Leslie Fitzpatrick (Densil Theobald 46th), Carlos Edwards, Chris Birchall, Otis Seaton (Brent Rahim 80th); Kenwyne Jones (Gary Glasgow 62nd), and Stern John.
BERMUDA: Nigel Burgess (Daniel Johnson 77th); Kentoine Jennings (capt), Maurice Lowe, Kofi Dill, Domico Coddington; Jelani Scott (Seion Darrell 80th), Jahnai Raynor (Logan Alexander 58th), Khris Frick (Rohann Simons 46th), Stevie Astwood; Damon Ming, Aljame Zuill (Cecoy Robinson 65th).