Trinidad and Tobago's senior footballers were still undecided on Saturday evening as to whether they would be facing St Vincent and the Grenadines in Sunday's Digicel Caribbean Cup encounter scheduled for a 3pm kick off.
Match commissioner Peter Jenkins, of St Kitts/Nevis was scheduled here on Saturday to decide on the matter after the Caribbean Football Union told officials of the St Vincent association that their proposed Richmond Hill School ground venue for the match was unfit for play. That venue was chosen because the regularly used Arnos Vale Cricket Ground was unavailable as it was closed for preparations for upcoming Cricket matches. Efforts by the local FA officials to use an artificial covering over the turf in the middle of the field proved futile and then further recommendations of remarking the field to allow play away from the turf wicket meant that the playing area would be less than the FIFA ruling. Officials were expected to come to a compromise late on Saturday.
T&T manager Richard Braithwaite added" The laws governing football identify both the maximum and minimum requirements for the field of play and therefore it seems that playing a game in an area that is less than the minimum is contrary to the laws of the game. He was still hopeful that the game would be played at a suitable venue.
The T&T contingent, including technical consultant Graham Taylor moved in to a more relaxing surroundings at the Sunset Shores Hotel on Saturday morning after arriving on the island the previous evening. Head coach Bertille St Clair ensured that members of the team remain focused on the task at hand as a draw for the least would take them into next February's Digicel Caribbean Cup Finals in Barbados from which three of the four teams would advance to the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States in July, 2005. Following the first leg result, St Vincent, under coach Zoran Vranes must win by three clear goals to knock the Warriors out of the competition.
You always aim to do better in the next match and that is our focus right now, St Clair told TTFF Media as the team had a session on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the Arnos Vale training ground.
"We don't want to be on the up one day and then down tomorrow so again we are concentrating on building a level of consistency.
Commenting on Taylor's first session with the team at the Antigua Recreation Ground on Thursday, St Clair added" We all recognized again that football is universal. The mental aspect is very important. What having him around will do is allow the players to have different views and to also learn from his ideas and how he brings his things across to them.
It is essential that we get back to Trinidad with a positive performance and result under our belts, The Tobago-born coach stated"
Team physiotherapist said it was unlikely that striker Cornell Glen would start as his hamstring conditions may not allow him to last long on the pitch but midfielder Denzil Theobald has been cleared fit following a knock on his shin in the 3-1 win over St Vincent last weekend.
T&T Team To Come From:
Daurance Williams, Jan Michael Williams, Derek King, Cyd Gray, Derek Phillips, Avery John, Atiba Charles, Anton Pierre, Michael Celestine, Anthony Rougier, Marlon Rojas, Angus Eve, Denzil Theobald, Kerwyn Jemmott, Leslie Fitzpatrick, Nigel Pierre, Cornell Glen, Conrad Smith, Gary Glasgow.