TTFF NEWS - Valuable point for Warriors, Post game comments

Valuable point for Warriors

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Office, October 12,2008

Trinidad and Tobago came away with a valuable point in a courageous 0-0 draw
with Guatemala on Saturday night to keep their chances of securing a spot in
the CONCACAF Final round very much alive.

Playing before a partisan home crowd at the Estadio Mateo Flores, skipper
Dwight Yorke and his men, forced to play with ten men after defender Cyd
Gray way given marching orders for a second bookable offense, held on with a
gritty display which saw them almost snatching a late winner when Yorke free
kick came back off the near left post.

Before the start of the match, upon arrival some 90 minutes before kick off,
the venue was almost entirely filled by a vocal Guatemalan crowd which
jeered Yorke and company as they walked out on the pitch to get an early
feel of the expected intimidating atmosphere.
T&T had a bright first half, holding off the hosts for long periods and
should have gone ahead had Carlos Edwards and Jason Scotland done better
with their chances.

Scotland enjoyed a solid game overall while Edwards as a force throughout in
the right defensive position.

Veteran midfielder Russell Latapy had to sacrificed at the break following
Gray's sending off, to allow Clyde Leon to enter in a more defensive role
with Cornell Glen joining Scotland up front. Francisco Maturana said after
the match that Latapy was willing to play further time but he had no choice
but to introduce the defensive midfielder due to T&T then being a player
short.

Chris Birchall was a workhorse throughout and had two decent tries at goal,
one in the first half which was blocked and another in the second half which
flew over bar.

Goalkeeper Clayton Ince kept it even with some timely saves well supported
by more tidy work by Keyeno Thomas, Dennis Lawrence and Avery John.

The players and technical staff, feeling the value of the point, embraced
each other at half pitch. Russell Latapy jogged off with clenched fists in
the air as the T&T team was cheered off the field by the section of the
Guatemalan crowd above the players tunnel.
Next up, the "Soca Warriors" will host USA on Wednesday night at the Hasely
Crawford Stadium. Anthony Wolf, on two yellow cards and Gray will miss that
encounter.

The T&T team, which was met by President George Maxwell Richards and TTFF
Special Advisor Jack Warner before the game at the team hotel will arrive
back with those two and 150 fans on a charter flight at 10pm on Sunday

Post Match quotes

Francisco Maturana

"We played a very good game. I give credit to the players for fighting very
had and playing to the end. It was not easy especially after we had Cyd sent
off but our tactical game was very good tonight.

It was the kind of result that we deserved after a game like this. We played
with a lot of heart. In the game we had the more clear cut chances to score
and maybe the result could have been different if we made use of these. But
when the player got sent off it made us have to change our game tactically
and we had to take two players off. All my players did very well. Russell
Latapy too. He had to come off because at this stage for the second half we
had to put on the defensive player in the middle. He (Latapy) wanted to stay
on but I had to make the change," Maturana told TTFF Media.

Clayton Ince

It was a good result and good to see all the guys put on such a performance.
It was a tremendous fight by us after going a man down away from home. It
was very important for us not to lose this game and that's exactly what we
did. We kept shape throughout the game and we also put them under pressure
with a few good scoring chances of our own. It was a tricky affair but every
player held their own exactly how you need to in a qualifying match of this
nature. We played as a team whether it was with ten or eleven men. I think
with this kind of confidence in the camp we can definitely go on to get a
result against the States on Wednesday," Ince told TTFF Media

Chris Birchall

"It was vital for them that they won seeing that it was their home game and
vital for us not to lose so I think we came out the better team. I think
this the best I have felt fitness wise since the World Cup. There was a lot
of running and defending involved tonight and we did it well as a tea. We
were hoping for the three points but it became a lot harder after we got the
man sent off. But we showed a lot of grit and spirit. They had unbelievable
support and the Guatemala fans were clapping us off the pitch after the game
which was credit for our performance. Now is the one time we can be
confident that we can really give America a game and not just a good game
but also get three points. We will be going all out on Wednesday," Birchall
told TTFF Media.