18 year old Bankers Central F.C. striker, Nicholas Dillon flew off to Portland last week, after being invited for a three week trial with MLS outfit, Portland Timbers. The MLS club already have The Sharks T&T international forward, Rundell Winchester on loan, and it appears that his performances have paved the way for Dillon.
“Timbers have been very pleased with Winchester, not just on the field, but his professionalism away from the pitch” said Central F.C.’s Managing Director, Brent Sancho. ‘Obviously, it helped that Dillon got some minutes against LA Galaxy, and while he maybe should have put away one or two chances, his strength and speed gave the Galaxy defence a lot of trouble”
The 18 year old Couva based striker is entering his fourth season with The Sharks and he has benefited from a development programme that has seen him achieve a place on the national under 20 squad.
Last season, Central loaned Dillon to St Ann’s Rangers from January until May.
Sancho said “We decided that he needed Pro League games under his belt to get him ready to fight for a place in the Champions League squad, so we loaned him to Rangers. Rangers did a great job of getting him back into shape.”
Sancho added that both Dillon and Winchester were loaned to English club, Walsall, when they visited T&T in 2013. “Both players had the experience of living, training and playing with an overseas professional club. I think this experience was invaluable and we will be looking to bring another club from Europe this summer.”
Sancho said that Portland officials have already contacted him to say that they have been pleased with Dillon’s attitude and performance.
“Obviously, we hope that Timbers want to sign or loan Dillon. If that happens, it will be great for the player. It’s always good to see our boys flying the T&T flag overseas and it shows our youths that there are great possibilities if you apply yourself professionally.”
Central F.C. are currently in discussions with several MLS and European clubs to form partnerships to offer overseas options for players. “Our aim is for Central F.C. to be the jumping off point to the MLS, Europe and the top Central American leagues for the Caribbean’s best young players.” Said Sancho.