Coach impressed with national Under-17s

Trinidad and Tobago football coach Nigel Grovesnor is pleased with the improvement of the Under-17 team since he took over the position last December. His optimistic outlook comes just before the first round of the CONCACAF Under-17 World Champ-ionship qualifiers due to begin next month, “Of course, we’ll have our little setbacks in that, these boys have CXC and end-of term exams,” he indicated. “We’ve managed (to overcome it), we could only practice once a week because of these problems.” “We have boys from south Trinidad, and Tobago and to bring them down more than once a week (for training) can be hard, in terms of expenses, plus, when they get back home, they have school the next morning,” Grovesnor said. Despite those pitfalls, he was quick to state: “I’m pleased with where they’ve reached but, (as) school is over, we can step it up.” In the first round of the CONCACAF qualifiers, Tobago will be the venue for Group “A” matches featuring hosts TT, Barbados, Bahamas and St Lucia from August 18-22.

The training squad, comprising 26 players (including five goalkeepers) currently undergo sessions once per week, on Wednesdays at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. But Grovesnor plans to increase the sessions to three days per week. “I’m impressed with all of them,” he said humbly. “We have been practising against (local senior) club teams and the boys have been holding their own. I think it is good competition for them.” But will there be a conflict of interest with Grovesnor, who also serves as coach of national school champs St Anthony’s College? “I’m just concentrating on the tournament in August and, after that, I’ll sit with the technical staff and we’ll decide what’s happening after that,” he stated. “Right now I’m with both,” Grovesnor revealed, adding that his focus is on the TT team. “It’s (his work with the national team) not interferring with anything and I have people to assist me in St Anthony’s so it’s not a problem as such.”