The National Under-23 tournament still has a final round to complete before the 2012 Olympic Games but forward Jamal Gay believes that hard work and persistence has paid rich dividends for himself and his teammates.
Gay scored three goals in T&T’s Caribbean final round in St Kitts over the past week, including two in the 9-1 rout of Suriname and another in the 1-1 draw with Cuba.
For much of 2010, Gay was off the radar as he struggled to make his mark in the T&T Pro League after returning from a stint in Germany and a 2009 appearance at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. “I think it’s all down to my decision to buckle down and work hard.
A lot of things were said about me and I wasn’t happy. I had opportunities but I wasn’t finding form,” Gay said. “But I never gave up. I worked and started getting better and believing in myself.
I think the same goes for some of my teammates. We really want to do well but we needed to settle down and work hard.
We still have a lot to do but for now we have done pretty alright and must build on this for future success,” added the ex-El Dorado Secondary and current Caledonia AIA player.
Gay made his senior international debut against El Salvador in 2008 and has three goals in eight matches. He also netted in the 1-1 draw with Mexico at the Pan American Games.