Assistant coaches Desmond Bailey and Reynold Carrington have been promoted as interim head coaches of T&TEC FC for the Digicel Pro Bowl in the absence of regular first team coach, Dexter Cyrus.
Cyrus led the ‘Electric Boys’ to the South Zone title in 2008, runner-up position in the 2009 Super League and Super League winners in 2010, before the club joined the TT Pro League in the 2011-12 season where under Cyrus enjoyed runner-up positions in the First Citizens Cup, Toyota Classic and the Digicel Pro League Championship a point behind winners W Connection.
However rumors have circulated over the past weeks that the club has parted ways with the former Trinidad and Tobago international, something both Cyrus and T&TEC FC have dismissed.
Cyrus told ttproleague.com that he is simply preparing the club’s pre-season program.
T&TEC FC manager Peter Mohan reiterated Cyrus’ response saying, “Cyrus is still with us. Bailey and Carrington are in charge of the team during the Digicel Pro Bowl because Cyrus is working on our pre-season plans ahead of next season.
Last pre-season we just jumped into it but this time we want to tighten up the whole thing.”
Last Friday T&TEC under Bailey and Carrington, both former W Connection assistants defeated DIRECTV North East Stars 2-1 in the quarter-final round of the Digicel Pro Bowl at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium with defender Anthony Noriega netting twice in the first half.
The ‘Electric Boys’ are one match away from another Final this season, when they face Defence Force FC from 8pm at the Marabella venue on Friday 11 May in the semi-final round. W Connection and Caledonia AIA are against each other in the earlier semi-final from 6pm.
T&TEC wants to make up in Digicel Pro Bowl.
ttproleague.com.
T&TEC Football Club hasn’t given up pursuit of silverware in its debut season at the Pro League level and holds one more chance with the Digicel Pro Bowl.
The “Electric Boys” under head coach Dexter Cyrus has already done remarkably well this season finishing in runner-up position in the Digicel Pro League Championship, just one point behind winners W Connection(40 points) and reaching the First Citizens Cup and Toyota Classic knockout Finals.
However despite the creditable milestones, the club equipped with some of the top names in local football such as goalkeepers Clayton Ince, Marvin Phillip and Akini Adams, as well as outfield players Kerry Baptiste, Sylvester Teesdale, Kevon Neaves, Bevon Bass, Kerlon Furguson, Akeem Adams, Anthony Noriega, Kern Peters, Marcus Joseph, Aubrey David and others are relentlessly in search of silverware for T&TEC.
Last week under the care of assistant coaches Desmond Bailey and Reynold Carrington, T&TEC enjoyed a 2-1 win over DIRECTV North East Stars in the quarter-final round of the Pro Bowl with defender Noriega netting both items in the first half at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium—the same venue for this Friday’s semi-final round.
W Connection are against Caledonia from 6pm and two hours later, 8pm, T&TEC again under coaches Bailey and Carrington for the duration of the tournament will go up against Defence Force.
“We are at the end of the season and players haven’t won anything for the season,” said Carrington this week.
Carrington further stated that his team’s players have been great on the field of play despite internal issues affecting the club.
“We have been playing well,” he added. “We finished second in the League and that’s a great achievement in just our first season.
Now it’s our last chance at winning a trophy. We are going to give it our best on Friday (against Defence Force) to reach the Final.”
T&TEC and Defence Force only meetings this season were in the League Chamionship, with the “Electric Boys” enjoying victories in Round One (3-1) and Round Three (3-0) and a (1-1) drawn result in Round Two.
“Whether football or not, they(Defence Force) will always be soldiers with a good level of discipline and character. But we have had victories against them this season already and it wouldn’t be difficult to do it again,” Carrington concluded.
Meantime Defence Force boasts a 6-0 crushing of Adam’s Construction San Juan Jabloteh in the quarter-final round with a hattrick by Ross Russell Jr., a pair from in-form striker Richard Roy and one from veteran midfielder Michael Edwards.