GIVEN a new lease of life, at least in his footballing career, national senior team striker Errol McFarlane is hopeful that he can follow in the footsteps of his father — Errol senior.
“My father was really influential in my career,” Errol confessed. “He would always stick at me, he would always tell me whenever I go into (a challenge), ‘go into it with 100 percent, don’t go into it half-hearted’ and I always try to maintain his football name because I know that he had a pretty respectful career.” Errol made sporadic appearances with the national team since his debut in the 2002 World Cup qualifier against the United States, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, in November 2001. In fact, he seemed to join the list of forgotten men in Trinidad and Tobago football until he was included in the squad to face St Vincent in the recent World Cup qualifier at the Arnos Vale Recreation Ground. That game proved to be a blessing in disguise as he scored both goals in TT’s 2-0 victory on August 18, and followed up with another strike in TT’s 2-1 win over St Kitts on September 4.
“I think it is a step for me in the right direction because it’s actually my first goals for the senior team,” Errol remarked. “It did a lot for my confidence. I thank God for the blessings he has given to me.” Errol is not shy to express his gratitude to the Father, especially for guiding him throughout a career which has seen him play in the United States, Lebanon and Finland. From a family of ten children, seven boys and three girls, Errol was born and raised in St Ann’s, and started playing competitively with resident club Superstar Rangers. He was a member of Trinity College’s team from 1989-94, and also played for Malick, as a CXC repeater, from 1994-95, from where he obtained a US scholarship to play for Hawkshore University (get spelling????).
The powerfully-built Errol returned home to join his father with the Defence Force outfit and, with his dad on the sidelines, Errol was an influential part of his team’s success as Craven A Professional League champs in 1999. Following a recommendation from ex-national captain David Nakhid, Errol Jr left the Army to join Al Nejmeh in the Lebanon First Division the following year. “When I started to play abroad, I started to get more knowledge of the game. Playing locally wasn’t bad for me but playing abroad, you start to the see the difference, how they train and how they approach the game more seriously because that’s their lifestyle,” he said. He has been an integral part of Nejmeh’s team ever since, as they lifted the League title in 2000 (when he scored 21 goals in his debut season) and 2003 (with 15 goals).
But he has set his sights higher and, like most professional players, he aims for a long-term contract in Europe. For me, I’m just hoping to try to lift the level that I’m playing at because everyone’s aspiring to play in the big leagues (in Europe),” Errol noted. “I do hope that I can use these World Cup qualifiers as a window for other clubs to see what I have so I can go on to another level.” He had a short-term stint, on loan, to Filkirk FC in Iceland, a controversial move in 2002 as the game’s governing body FIFA was summoned to defuse tension between both Filkirk and Nejmeh, after the Lebanese club initially refused to release him. He also spent another short loan spell with CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh as they lifted the Trinidad and Tobago Pro League crown in 2002.
Admitting that he is an avid churchgoer and “pretty easy-going”, Errol is the father of two girls, Sherice and Ebony. While he is not certain whether or not his daughters will follow in his footsteps, his brother Shem has emerged as one of the leading strikers in the Super League for, not surprisingly, Superstar Rangers. “I’m trying to take my career to the highest level I can,” McFarlane stressed. “I really don’t know where I’ll end up but I’m aiming to take it to the highest level. Obviously how far I can really take it (would come as a result of) working hard and just staying focused.”