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Thu, Nov

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With just one game left of the 2005/2006 campaign thoughts for many will already be turning to summer holidays and the like, but for Clayton Ince the coming weeks will be the most important of his career to date as he heads for the World Cup finals.


Speaking exclusively to Sky Blues World the former Crewe 'keeper couldn't hide his delight at officially being named in the 23-man squad heading for Germany in June.

But with four 'keepers battling it out for three places, it was a nervy wait for Ince to discover if he would indeed make it to the showpiece tournament.

"I'm delighted to be in the squad, as any other player would be, and I'm looking forward to not just being in the squad but trying to make the first 11 when we are there.

"It would have been very disappointing to not make the squad, but overall looking at my performances, I feel that I've played a big part in the qualifications, maybe not in the later stages but certainly at the start, and being a part of what made the team qualify is an achievement in its self.

"There were four 'keepers going for three spots, and I gave my self the benefit of the doubt, that the other keepers have been playing and I haven't been playing but I still stayed focused and tried to keep my self fit and ready for when called upon."
The Soca Warriors will be appearing in their first-ever World Cup finals and Clayton believes that the tag of underdog will suit Leo Beenhakker's men as they look to spring some surprises.

"It's nice to focus on the World Cup now and even though the season here has almost finished I still have to keep my self mentally focused and physically fit so that I can prove to the manager that I can be in his team and not just in his squad.

"We will always be underdogs, as it's the first time we've been in the World Cup, and it goes to show how far Trinidad have come to get there. We have no pressure going into any game, if anything the pressure is on the other teams as they are expected to beat us, which is why I believe we have just as good a chance as any other team in the group."