Better late than never, surely the opinion felt by Caledonia AIA head coach Jamaal Shabazz as he welcomes the addition of Trinidad and Tobago 2006 World Cup striker and former San Jose Earthquakes player Cornell Glen in a much needed time.
Caledonia is left with an uphill task when it visits home-side Tempête FC of Haiti on Sunday 08 May in the second-leg of the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship Second Round needing to win by two clear goals to advance into the semi-final round.
The Shabazz coached side suffered a 1-0 first-leg defeat against the Haitians on Friday 22 April at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Trinidad.
Shabazz believes his side is boosted by the availability of the 30 year old Glen, whose transfer delays lasted just over a month.
“One of the key points for us… is that Cornell Glen will be available for this game,” said Shabazz following one of his team’s training sessions at the Hasely Crawford Stadium last Thursday.
“And being able to have his (Glen) experience is going to certainly help us.”
Longstanding Caledonia captain Stephan David shares the same opinion saying, “Cornell Glen brings a lot of experience to the team and being away from home we are hoping what he brings will count.”
Shabazz was also delighted to add that defender Sheldon Emmanuel who only joined the team two days before the home leg against Tempête would have had a lot more training under his belt ahead of the second-leg in Haiti.
Caledonia is expected to arrive in Haiti on Saturday and return home on Tuesday following Sunday’s crucial clash.
The Morvant/Laventille based club is seeking to join fellow Digicel Pro League club Defence Force in the semi-final round of the CFU Club Championship.
Guyana’s Alpha United has already secured its spot in the semi-final round while the remaining second-round series has the defending champion Puerto Rico Islanders against Walking Boyz of Suriname, which will be played May 7 and May 14.