Striker turns his back on England to play for TT

MARRAKECH: Trinidad and Tobago’s senior footballers trained for the first time at the Stade Harte here in Marrakech, Morocco ahead of Wednesday’s friendly international against the host nation.

The TT team comprising a mix of overseas and local-based professionals has settled nicely at the La Meridien Hotel, Marrakech, following their journey from Piarco last Friday evening. The footballers and officials spent Saturday night at the Hyatt Hotel,  Casablanca before taking a connecting flight to Marrakech yesterday morning. And despite the humid conditions, skipper Reynold Carrington and company are eagerly awaiting the chance for what undoubtedly is the team’ biggest international match Stuart Charles-Fevrier took up duties as head coach earlier this year. The last time the teams met, A TT side with Falkirk midfielder Russell Latapy, Portsmouth goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, David Nakhid and English-born newcomers Ronnie Mauge and Ian Cox, in the line-up lost 1-0 as they prepared for Gold Cup and World Cup campaigns. This time around, the circumstances are not much different as TT’s journey towards Germany 2006 is on the verge of kicking into high gear. Cox and Mauge were newcomers three years ago and on Wednesday, another TT English-based player is expected to make his debut for Charles- Fevrier’s team.

Promising Watford striker Jason Norville met his new teammates at Heathrow Airport in London, England and is all pumped up over the opportunity to play on the senior international stage. Having lived in England since the age of six, Norville, who turns 20 tomorrow, revealed that despite attempts by Watford officials to prevent him from playing for TT, he said he could not turn his back on the opportunity. After all, he turned down the chance to  play for England at the Under-21 level also. “This is an opportunity I have thought long and hard about and I made up my mind that I wanted to play for Trinidad and Tobago,” Norville said yesterday. “But back at the club, they weren’t too happy about me coming over for this match and I have  already been warned that when I return (to Watford), my place won’t be there and I’ll have to fight to get back into the team. But I’m prepared to go all the way because this opportunity to play on the international stage is something I have my set my mind on doing,” said Norville.