TTFF NEWS - Maturana names his final 18 to face England

Maturana names Final 18 to face England

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer, May 29, 2008

 

On the same day that the opponents England arrived in the country, Trinidad and Tobago head coach Francisco Maturana announced his final 18-man squad for Sunday’s friendly international.

 

Maturana conducted a training session at the Larry Gomes Stadium on  Thursday morning and then announced the squad which includes the likes of Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones, Carlos Edwards, Dennis Lawrence, Stern John, Clayton Ince, Osei Telesford and Darryl Roberts.

 

Some of the younger faces getting into Maturana’s 18 include defenders Makan Hislop and Kern Cupid, Ancil Farrier, Khaleem Hyland, Kareem Smith and midfielder Atulla Guerra.

 

Maturana, in a brief comment on his squad, said he came to the decision after five days of intense preparation.

 

“This is the squad we will go into Sunday’s match with,” Maturana told TTFF Media.

“It’s a squad that we have assessed and looked very carefully at in our preparation to play against England and we will work towards making it happen good on Sunday. I know England are confident because they defeated America on Wednesday but we will not let that affect us. We will play  at home and we will hopefully play with the heart and the determination to do well on Sunday.”

 

Roberts, formerly of Sparta Rotterdam, said he feels honoured to be in a squad that will face the country which won a World Cup in 1966.

 

“I know it’s going to be a very difficult game but I am ready and all the boys are ready to show that we can compete hard and fair. Any game against a team like England is always going to be a big one and hopefully it will be a great one for the players and the fans. I would love to test myself against them because against a team like England you can really see where you are in terms of a level of readiness for football at a high level,’ Roberts added.

 

The T&T team will train on Friday evening at the Larry Gomes Stadium and then at the match venue in a closed session on Saturday. The team is now in camp at the Holiday Inn Hotel.

 

FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, who met the England team just as they came off their private jet, says he’s hoping for a fantastic affair on Sunday. Before that the England team will train on Friday morning at the Hasely Crawford Stadium and then some members will conduct a coaching clinic for 80 kids at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Centre of Excellence from 6pm.

 

“I think that the fact that they are here in the flesh now means that we have a great game to look forward to and I want to wish the entire country an enjoyable time on Sunday. Even for those who don’t have a ticket, I want to tell them, don’t do the illegal stuff, don’t give the scalpers good business and look out for the counterfeit tickets. But for those who were not lucky to get the ticket we have ensured that you can see all the action on national television (NCC Channel four),” Warner said.

 

“The coach Fabio looks to be in good spirits and he has promised us a very good game on Sunday and so have our coach has also promised a competitive showing from his boys. I think we will be in for a grand show,” Warner said.

 

Final Squad of 18 Players for  England Match

1.Clayton Ince
2.Kern Cupid
3.Makan Hislop
4.Ancil Farrier
5.Dennis Lawrence
6.Autis Whitley
7.Khaleem Hyland
8.Carlos Edwards
9.Keon Daniel
10.Kenwyne Jones
11.Stern John
12.Marvin Phillip
13.Kareem Smith
14.Osei Telesford
15.Darryl Roberts
16.Akeem Adams
17.Attula Guerra
18.Hayden Tinto