TT football history starts now

With the exception of starting central defender Marvin Andrews, who will sit out the game with a strained knee, the Warriors are ready to prove they belong on the world stage.

“We are all excited and looking forward to it,’’ defender Dennis Lawrence told TTFF Media. “We all understand how important the game is, not just to us as players but to T&T on a whole. We have to be relaxed and focused on the job at hand.” But the man whose goal headed Trinidad and Tobago forward to the 2006 World Cup will take the pitch a bit saddened that Andrews, his close friend and playing partner, will not be at his side.

“I played with Marvin regularly and obviously whoever the manager decides to play in his position will have to fit in,’’ he said. “We have to play together as a team and if the player wasn’t good enough he would not be here. It’s sad for Marvin and it’s sad for me because you know Marvin is a close friend of mine At the end of the day, he wants the team to do well and whoever comes in will have to adapt to the job at hand.”

Lawrence was among the players who had a one-hour session at the match stadium under hot conditions as coach Leo Beenhakker had a final look at his team.

The Wrexham-based professional has been in the limelight since his winning header over Bahrain on November 16, 2005.

“Personally, it’s a massive achievement for myself and I tend to enjoy it a lot more when the team and the country can be part of the success,’’ Lawrence said. “It’s a huge milestone for me and will be one of the best days in my career and one I will maybe never forget.”

Across the squad, optimism abounds.

Veteran skipper Dwight Yorke said the key will be a good showing today.

“If we can get something from this first game, without a doubt it will be a big boost for us and it will set the momentum,” Yorke told TTFF Media. “This is the ultimate for all of us and we are all looking forward to it. We will enjoy it as the manager and that’s what I will say to the guys. We have to let everything happen naturally.”

And the odds mean nothing once the whistle blows. “Everything on name or on paper doesn’t count for anything and I have a deep feeling that if we can stick to our game and we can play well then there’s a good reason we can come out of this game with something positive,” Yorke said.

And as if the Warriors needed more reason to be optimistic, starting goalkeeper Kelvin Jack, who has been nursing a calf injury the past few days, is cleared to play.

“My expectations are for us to go out and give a good performance,” Lawrence said. “Once we can do that and with a bit of luck, the result will be right for us.

“This is the stage of us to go out and represent Trinidad and Tobago and that’s all we want to do and we want to do in a positive way.”