Trinidad and Tobagos senior footballers will continue their training camp with a match against the Antigua and Barbuda national team at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG), St Johns from 4pm on Wednesday.
The match was an arrangement between the TTFF and the Antigua FA following an initial agreement to let the Soca Warriors train at the ARG.
Bertille St Clair and his men got their first feel of the ARG as they engaged in an intense three-hour session on Tuesday morning as tourists flocked by to get a glimpse of the venue and take photos at the ground which is more famous for world cricket, particularly the record breaking innings by West Indies skipper Brian Lara over the past decade.
Early morning rain threatened to make things difficult for the players to train on the outfield but St Clair was still able to put them through the paces and preparations are expected to continue in top gear with the scheduled arrival of technical consultant Graham Taylor from London on Wednesday.
Taylors presence will give him an opportunity for a maiden first hand opportunity to observe and work with the T&T squad since his appointment last year. Since then he has been making checks on the progress of T&Ts UK-based pros.
St Clair says he intends to make full use of the remaining days of the camp.
Its important that we utilize all the opportunities we have at our disposal in the next few days. The guys know the type of intensity we are trying to bring into our game and as a result of this our sessions are not anything like a stroll in the park. They know that with no guts, theres no glory and if we are to get the best performance out there on the pitch, then we must put in the required hard work, St Clair told TTFF Media. We are focusing on ensuring that the players are in good shape both physically and mentally and after a hard session we are also able to relax at the resort and get the bodies and minds in order.
For Wednesdays friendly, T&T will be without New York/New Jersey MetroStars striker Cornell Glen who is continuing rehab on his hamstring with team physiotherapist Zeph Nicholas and midfielder Denzil Theobald is expected to be back to full fitness by Friday following a knock on his shin during Sundays 3-1 win over St Vincent and the Grenadines. Both players are expected to be ready for Sundays return leg in St Vincent.
St Clair is also making use of the excellent beach facilities at the All-Inclusive Jolly Beach Resort and Hotel where the team is based and the players took part in an evening warm-down session on the beach with trainer David Cumberbatch and Nicholas conducting the exercises.