FORMER national football coach Mervyn `Pug’ Wilson passed away last Sunday after a prolonged illness, leaving the football fraternity as well as sports administrators and athletes in a state of shock.

Wilson, who was 62 years of age at the time of his death, never represented Guyana as a senior national player. He started his football career at the Albouystown YMCA while resident in the community and was given the nickname `Pug’ because of the size of his nose.

Despite such a name, the former national coach made a name for himself years after getting involved in the sport and represented Guyana at the Under-19 level.
Years later, he worked at Tony Gonsalves’ box-making factory in Barr Street, Albouystown as a labourer, while doing coaching stints for the youths in the community. Wilson got an employment opportunity as a full-time coach at the National Sports Council in the 1970s under the leadership of the late Derek Whitehead.
Wilson was subsequently seconded to the Guyana National Service in 1978 where he served as football coach for many years and put together a team of footballers that dominated the sport locally especially at the Under-19 level.
Some of the players who made up Wilson’s formidable team were Herbert Pellew, Arnold Morrison, Richard Johnson and Erskine (All in One).
The entire National Service unit was such a strong force that seven of its members were called to national duty at the Under-19 level two years after its formation,
Wilson was then sent to Germany to pursue a diploma in football coaching and was successful.
On his return to Guyana, he was appointed national football coach by the Harry Shepherd-led Guyana Football Association president.
In the early 1980s, Wilson built a team that was one of the best in the Caribbean region, but unfortunately, most of its members absconded in the USA while they were on their way to face Mexico in a return match of the FIFA World Cup preliminaries in 1986.
A few years earlier, through Wilson’s stewardship, Guyana advanced beyond the first round of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) championship when the Terrence Archer-led National team, coached by Wilson, eliminated Barbados in a home and away clash, drawing the first game 1-1.
The National squad was made up of Terrence Archer (captain), Brian Tracey (deceased), Gerald Williams, Leonard Williams, Aubrey Hutson, Gordon Brathwaite, Marlon De Souza, Michael Rogers, Gaston Grenville, Adrian Forde, Anthony Williams, Ashton Taylor (deceased), Neville Johnson, Colin Hinds, Michael Layne and Nigel Cummings,
In the return fixture played at the world-famous GCC ground, Bourda, the Bajans were no match for the locals. Bajan tormentor Neville ‘Zipper’ Johnson and Colin Hinds triumphed 2-0.
This victory eliminated Barbados from the 1983 CFU championship and placed Guyana into the second round for the first time.
The National Team that eliminated Barbados were – Archer (captain), Hutson, Johnson, Cummings, Adrian `The Ballerina’ Forde, Leonard Williams, Gerald Williams, Gordon Brathwaite, Hinds, Neil Ochoa, Michael Layne, De Souza, Michael Rogers, Joel Johnson, Tracey, Taylor, Julian Moe, Ruddy Walcott, Fitzroy Caesar and Kenrick Wiltshire.
In an invited comment, national cycle coach Hassan Mohamed when told by Chronicle Sport that Wilson had passed away, was in great shock “This is a shock to me, me and `Pug’ worked together at the National Sports Council, we were very close,” Mohamed said.
According to Mohamed who is also internationally-trained, himself, Wilson, Michael Brusch, Michael Baptiste, Rex Collymore, the late Courtney Atherley, Lennox and Ashton Arthur and Orin `Tublo’ Cumberbatch worked together under Derek Whitehead in the National Park.
Mohamed remembered telling Wilson when he (Wilson) was going to Germany on the football scholarship what to expect and what to do “and he did just that”, Mohamed said.
The national cycle coach said Wilson was very qualified in his field and will be missed by the football family.
According to reports, Wilson was a diabetic and lost a few toes a while ago, but the disease spread over the years and claimed his life.

By Michael DaSilva