Naparima College midfielder Javed Mohammed will captain this country’s National Under 17 team in the preliminary group stage of the Caribbean Football Union Under 17 World qualifiers at the Dwight Yorke Stadium Bacolet from next Wednesday.
The team, under coach Nigel Grosvenor, is currently in camp in Mt Irvine ahead of their opening game against St Lucia from 7pm Wednesday at the Dwight Yorke Stadium. The game will be the second of a double header with Barbados taking on Bahamas in the earlier game from 5pm.
Grosvenor, coach of the highly successful St Anthony’s College has had the team in training for the past six months and is coming off several live in camps including one at Forest Reserve, Fyzabad. The team has also played warm match matches against local opposition, defeating St Benedict’s College 9-2, losing 2-1 to a South West Drillers outfit. They then defeated Tobago United’s Pro team 3-0 last Thursday at Shaw Park. Nyron Orr, Michael Brown and Kyle McIvor were the scorers in that affair.
Grosvenor says while his team will be cautious of their Caribbean counterparts, they feel confident that they have prepared well and will deliver the goods in the tournament.
“We are confident at the moment but it all breaks down to how the boys react mentally on the days of the games. We have done well in the training matches but also have been playing without any pressure and so we are just looking forward to the big stage because that’s when it really counts,” Grosvenor told TTFF Media on Saturday. “We have been playing good football, playing the ball and deck and building into attack and strong on the defensive side as well as in the middle. The team is prepared to play total football. But we are well aware that no team can be taken for granted,” added Grosvenor.
“We just want the fans in Tobago to come out and support the team because these are our future senior team players and they cannot be left out or forgotten at this stage in their careers.” The team includes young midfielder Silas Spann, son of former national player Leroy Spann and brother of current senior team midfielder Silvio Spann. Some notable names include Fatima College defender Marvin James who was on the last national under 17 team, Queen’s Royal College forward Kyle McIvor and the Tobago boys like Scarborough Secondary defender Jeromy Williams, Kerlon Fergusson of Mason Hall Government, defender Jevon Morton of Signal Hill Senior Comprehensive and Nyron Orr of Roxborough Composite.
Along with T&T’s group, three other Groups will be contested with the four winners advancing to a two-game Second Round Series (home-and-away) in September. The two winners there will then move on to the CONCACAF finals in April and May 2005 from which the top two teams advances to the 2005 World Under 17 Championship in Peru. Once T&T advances from this first group, they will go into a home and away knockout tie against the winners of the Group which comprises Cuba, Bermuda, Guyana and St Vincent. Admission for the games which will all be played at the Dwight Yorke Stadium is $20 (covered stands), $10 (uncovered) and children under 12 will be allowed free in the uncovered stands.
T&T 19-man Squad:
Goalkeepers:
Kareem Charles (Tranquility Secondary), Kevin Mussio (St Anthony’s College).
Defenders:
Brendon Boucaud (St Anthony’s College), Jeromy Williams (Scarborough SC), Jevon Morton (Signal Hill SC), Kaleem Hyland (Mucurapo SC), Kurt Williams (Point Fortin SC), Marvin James (Superstar Rangers).
Midfielders:
Javed Mohammed (Naparima College), Kerron Ross (Malick SC), Michael Brown (San Juan SC), Nyron Orr (Roxborough Comp), Shastri Spencer (St Augustine SC), Silas Spann (W Connection), Qian Grosvenor (St Mary’s College).
Forwards:
Carlon Hughes (Mayaro Composite), Kyle McIvor (Superstar Rangers), Kerlon Fergusson (Mason Hall Gov’t), Lester Peltier (St Pierre’s Composite).