DENNIS LAWRENCE does not care who Trinidad and Tobago will face in next summer’s World Cup finals.
The towering centre-half scored the crucial goal in the second leg of last month’s play-off with Bahrain that sealed his country’s place in the finals which are being held in Germany, and cemented his name in Trinidadian history.
Already proud of Trinidad’s achievements, the 31-year-old is eagerly anticipating tomorrow’s draw and has no preference as to who the Caribbean nation will face in their four-team group.
“I am really looking forward to the draw. It will be exciting to see who comes out of the hat with Trinidad and Tobago,” Lawrence said today.
“Obviously all the fans will have their eyes on the draw, but I am not bothered who we will face. We are just delighted to be in the draw in the first place. We know that we will come up against some bigger teams than us because of the seedings, but no matter who we get we are going there to enjoy it.
“But it does not mean we are going to Germany to be the whipping boys. We will be making a big effort to do something and are not going there to make up the numbers.
“Trinidad is still a massive buzz and I hope everyone in the country will continue to enjoy the fact we are in the finals. But as players, we need to be professional and are looking at it in a different light, we hope to do well.”
And Lawrence is optimistic that Trinidad, making their first appearance in the final stages of the World Cup finals, can an impact in Germany – regardless of who they face.
“In a game of football, it is 11 against 11 players, and you just have to be positive when you step on the pitch,” said Lawrence. “We will be going there focussed and will hopefully do Trinidad and Tobago proud.”
But Lawrence is keen for success with club as well as country and for the time being he is focused on Wrexham’s push for promotion.
“At the end of the day, this is my daily job and the first priority. I want to do well with Wrexham this season,” added Lawrence. “When I am away with Trinidad, I focus on that. It is a case of what is placed in front of me is the priority.
“I will hopefully be able to watch the draw tomorrow night and will enjoy it. But then I will be focussing on Saturday’s match against Notts County.”
Around 3,700 people will be present for tomorrow’s draw in the auditorium at the huge trade fair hall in Leipzig’s Neue Messe exhibition centre which is being transformed into a football stadium for the occasion.
The World Cup finals in Germany begin on June 9, 2006, and the final takes place in Munich on July 9.