Plans are being made for this country’s senior team to train on the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) because of the similar surface to the Queen’s Park Oval, venue for the February 9 World Cup qualifier against the United States.
The team will have use of the Oval for training but that may be limited due to the cricket season and as such the opportunity to use the ARG was looked at. T&T’s third round Digicel Cup match, once they get past British Virgin Islands, will be against either St Vincent and the Grenadines or Grenada and will be played at the Queen’s Park Oval on January 9 from 3:30pm. Following that a proposed training camp will take place at the ARG from January 10-15 to be followed by the second leg.
TTFF special adviser Jack Warner appealed for use of the ARG after initially the request seemed unlikely to fulfilled because of the venue being closed before the week intended for use by T&T.
But further enquiries by Warner led to a meeting between Antiguan Prime Minister, Honourable Baldwin Spencer and Antiguan Football Association General Secretary Gordon Derrick which resulted in a decision to leave the ARG opened to accommodate the “Soca Warriors” until January 15.
“Prime Minister Spencer was fully accommodating and expressed that where ever possible, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda would try to assist our Caribbean brothers in reaching Germany 2006. Success for Trinidad & Tobago would translate into success for the Caribbean,” Derrick stated to TTFF Media.
Meantime, Bolton Wanderers striker Ricky Shakes has gotten the okay from team manager Sam Allardyce to join the T&T team this weekend and he will arrive here on Friday. The 19-year-old English-born player will be looked at by senior team coach Bertille St Clair as well as under 20 coach Anton Corneal as he is also eligible for the Under 20s which go into CONCACAF final round World qualifying action on January 12 against the United States in California.
In other news, striker Scott Sealy rejoined the team in training on Wednesday at the Ato Boldon Stadium fresh from receiving the news that he was named on the NSCAA/Adidas Men’s NCAA Division All American Team on Tuesday.
Sealy who starred for Wake Forest University this season while also breaking his way into the T&T senior team during the ongoing 2006 World Cup qualifying tournament, was among three players from his team to gain selection on one of the most diverse groups in the award’s history. The other two were Justin Moose and Michael Parkhurst who joined Sealy on the second team.
There was also some encouraging news for Kenwyne Jones who netted his first goal for Southampton in a Reserve match with Fulham which ended 2-2 on Tuesday. ““It was a good finish last night, he has got terrific spring and heads the ball well which is an asset and one thing he hasn’t shown us yet which he has got in his armoury is a real powerful shot,’ said team manager Stewards Henderson. Newly appointed Southampton boss Harry Redknapp also saw Jones’ goal from the sidelines.