“This is just the start.”
Newly-appointed senior men’s national team head coach Dwight Yorke gave the Trinidad and Tobago Under-17 men’s team a pep talk at the Larry Gomes Stadium yesterday, telling them that it is the extra work they do outside of national team sessions that will makes the difference between a good player and a great one.
Yorke addressed the players at length prior to their training session which was being held as part of preparations for the CONCACAF Under-17 Men’s World Cup qualifying group in Costa Rica next year.
“Coming from Tobago and having to move to Trinidad, the journey has been a very successful one but the reality is that this is where it all started,” Yorke told the players.
“It starts at the youth level. You guys are representing your country which is a privilege. My approach is always about attitude, discipline and the fundamentals of the game. It starts from here. These are your moments. It is a great honour. You earned the right to be wearing the colours of Trinidad and Tobago and to get to this level here, you must be doing something right,” he continued.
The former Manchester United striker also gave the boys some advice about how to “make it” in the game.
“It is about where you want to go from here. What is ahead. You have to be doing it from this level and you have to be consistent in what you do,” Yorke said.
He continued: “You are the future of T&T. You should be setting the example. It is about when you leave here how to carry yourself, what you do with the discipline, your attitude when you go to do the extra work because that’s what sets you apart. Do the extra work because that is what is going to lead you taking your career to higher heights.”
Yorke added: “At 16 in high school, I was playing for T&T and in the starting team as well. That is because of my dedication. My dedication to the game was beyond anybody else’s because I really wanted to make it. Don’t’ be like everybody else. Be the difference-maker,” Yorke added.
SOURCE: T&T Express