Team promises better showing against Bermuda tonight
GUYANA will attempt to move an inch closer in realising their dream of playing at a FIFA World Cup when they resume action in ‘Group B’ of the CONCACAF Zone ‘Brazil 2014 Qualifiers’ tonight at the Guyana National Stadium against the visiting Bermuda at 20:00hrs.
Promising to have a better showing of the 2-0 victory over Barbados last Friday, the ‘Golden Jaguars’ are all set to roar against their opponents, who arrived also seeking a win after falling 1-0 against 2006 World Cup attendees Trinidad and Tobago in their first game.
The home side however hold the advantage over the Bermudians, since they (Guyana) share the top spot with Trinidad and Tobago in the group.
Bermuda and Guyana share one common fact: they have chosen the best ball-weavers the countries had to offer and at a press conference yesterday hosted by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) at its Georgetown Head Office, they each made it clear that a win is their only option, even though it’s the first leg of home and away games.
“We have a very youthful team,” explained Bermuda’s assistant coach Gary Darrell at yesterday’s Press Conference, as he further stated that “our team had been together and preparing for this qualifiers for the past 18 months”..
He also mentioned that most of the players come from the Collegiate level in either England or the USA, with some playing in the United States Soccer League (USL).
For Guyana, the story is different, as they had undergone a number of changes both on and off the field, from a shift in administration to the reinstallation of a passionate Technical Director (Jamal Shabazz) – a move which was highly praised by captain Chris Nurse.
Nurse spoke profoundly about the high level of organisation under which the team is now placed and said that this has instilled the will to win in the players and promised a 100% from the team tonight.
The England-based defender said that while the team had little or no time to play together prior to last Friday, there are more positives than negatives that came out of their first game – one of which he noted was the sturdiness of the defence and the form shown by the strikers Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson and Shawn ‘Bubbly’ Beveney.  
“Richardson and ‘Bubbly’ have not played together in years and the fact that they were able to coordinate so well up front is a plus for us,” said Nurse.
The captain said that he was happy to see the return of Shabazz whom he had played with over the years in the National team.
Asked by Chronicle Sport how much he knows of Bermuda, Nurse replied “Shabazz, you can ask around the Caribbean, is one of the best coaches in the Caribbean and I’m sure that he got material on the game they played against Trinidad, so I’m not worried, we will just go out there to play football.”
English Premier League top club Stolk City’s Kenwyne Jones’ late strike in the first half was enough to down Bermuda last Friday, but Nurse said this will not intimidate his side in any way.
Nurse was heartened by the fact that the team did not play together before their Barbados game yet showed signs that if the team only stick together they can create havoc in the region.
He stressed that “we weren’t there to know if Trinidad had a bad night, or Bermuda showed up to play; we will not use that game to judge our match. We have a very good team, one that could stand up to any team in the Caribbean, but sometimes all we need is a few more games together.”
No changes were hinted by manager Mark Xavier but he did mention, however, that there is one notable injury in the team even though he was reluctant to name the player but said whoever he is will be ready to play tonight.
Meanwhile Franklyn Wilson, GFF president (ag) asked that persons wear yellow to show support to the national team and that just like any other world cup game, a no-exit rule will be enforced.
Beveney (25’) and veteran defender Charles ‘Lily Pollard (75’) were the two scorers for Guyana in the last game, but Nurse said the team worked overtime to correct their mis- firing antics on goal and urged the fans who he said have been very supportive of the team, to continue to rally behind them.