Barbados senior men’s football team are one win away from qualifying for next year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time in the island’s history, but their feet are firmly on the ground, according to captain Andre Applewhaite.
The Tridents currently sit on top of the CONCACAF Nations League B, Group B with 10 points from four matches after recording a 2-0 victory over St Lucia and a double over Bermuda, winning 4-1 and 2-1 as well as drawing 2-2 with Guadeloupe.
Speaking to the DAILY NATION from Guadeloupe yesterday, the left-back expressed his side’s focus on the task ahead with two upcoming CONCACAF Nations League fixtures this week, starting with their clash against the hosts today at the Stade René Serge Nabajoth.
“The guys are in good spirits going into the final games, and I know everyone is confident to earn positive results in the two games,” he said. “It’s a great feeling among the team, knowing that we’re very close to something historic, but we are remaining confident but humble at this time and taking one game at a time.”
In the reverse fixture, the Tridents were held to a pulsating 2-2 draw with Guadeloupe at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, St Lucia, on September 28. Barbados were seconds away from victory after a stunning two-minute burst from second-half substitutes Thierry Gale and Niall Reid-Stephen, firing them into a 2-1 lead, only for Djamalee Boisne to strike again in the dying moments to deny them the three points.
Applewhaite believes lessons have been learnt from that disappointment, with the squad aiming to assert more control against the opposition. “It’s a new game, so for us, against Guadeloupe, this time around is just to limit what they’re good at and continue to use our strength and impose our will on them.”
Following their match against the hosts, the Tridents will play currently second-placed St Lucia in what could be a decisive top-of-the-table encounter on November 17, at the Stade René Serge Nabajoth. They will be aided by five changes to the squad, with in-form forwards Nadre Butcher and Ackeel Applewhaite joining the set-up after missing the September-October international window, while youngsters Nathan Sealy and Reuben Garnes-Alleyne have also earned call-ups. Defender Nicoli Brathwaite returns to the squad after recovering from injury.
Those five players replace young defenders Jacob Gollop, Shay Prescod and Zachary Applewhaite, as well as forwards Sheran Hoyte and Taijo James. Explaining the changes, senior head coach Kent Hall said several adjustments were necessary because of players’ availability, with some committed to club and school competitions.
“We managed to maintain a core of the squad from the September-October window, but all of the players have respective clubs and schools, and they’re all in the middle of competition in some way, shape or form. We had a few people who are available or unavailable for one reason or another, so that has prompted some changes,” he explained.
Hall added that the continued local training programme had also provided an opportunity to reintegrate players who had previously been part of the national setup.
“We also were able to continue the training programme locally and get some of the players who would have been in the programme leading up to and before back into the fold and working with the group. That would account for some of the changes, obviously, that would exist within the roster for this window, and obviously some changes would have been made due to necessity.”
The squad is as follows: Goalkeepers: Jamal Blackman, Jireh Malcolm, Kaliq Lashley. Defenders: Mario Williams, Raquan Clarke, Nicoli Brathwaite, Andre Applewhaite, Ajani Banton, Nathan Sealy, Tyrique Bailey-Edwards. Midfielders: Davion Thorne, Jaylan Gilkes, Jahaim Neblett, Jaron Oughterson, Ross Bourne, Reuben Garnes-Alleyne, Omani Leacock, Darico King. Forwards: Nadre Butcher, Colin Griffith, Ackeel Applewhaite, Niall Reid-Stephen, Thierry Gale. (JC)
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