Trinidad and Tobago coach Stephen Hart is pleased with his team’s performance at the recently-concluded OSN Cup in Saudi Arabia, but insisted that despite their third place finish, T&T still have a lot of work to do.
Under new coach Hart, the “Soca Warriors” reached the quarter-finals of the Gold Cup for the first time since 2000, and also finished third at the OSN Cup behind the United Arab Emirates, who beat New Zealand 2-0 in Monday’s final in Saudi Arabia.
The OSN tournament’s opening game saw the Soca Warriors rally from three goals down to draw 3-3 with 2013 Gulf Cup Champions UAE, before losing 7-6 on penalty kicks. T&T then beat Saudi Arabia 3-1 for third spot
The “Soca Warriors” returned from Saudi Arabia on Thursday night.
Speaking about his team’s recent performances, Hart said: “We went into the first game with some difficulty and we expected some difficulty but the players responded very well. They started well, had a difficult middle period and ended well so considering the circumstances, the players responded well and I am pleased with the results.”
The coach is also willing to give other players a chance as they try to build a strong team.
He said he would like to “give some players some experience and see what happens.”
“From my stand point I am still looking at players to fit in and create competition in the squad. We focused a bit more on the attacking side of the game but we have to work on certain elements. We already spoke to the players and there is a lot of work to do.
“I think the players have made sacrifices and put themselves out there and I think they deserve a bit of love from everybody. They really worked hard, above and beyond in some instances,” he added.
One player given a shot on the trip was Kevin Molino who believes it was encouraged by T&T’s performances.
“It was a great experience to catch up with the players. It was a great tournament in Saudi Arabia and we did well. We lost on penalty kicks but we finished in third place, which is a good experience and I just want to continue doing what I do and enjoy my football and keep scoring for my country and I think all in all it was a great tournament for us.
“Most important I think is the depth we have in the team. There are positives coming out of the Gold Cup and the tournament in Saudi Arabia and we are just delighted to come third and just looking forward to all the international friendly matches coming up,” Molino added.