Montserrat face one
of the most important matches in their footballing history this Wednesday when
they have the honour of kicking off the qualifying competition for the 2014
FIFA World Cup Brazil™ against Belize.Both coach and players are ready and
raring to go even though most of Montserrat’s inhabitants have had to flee the
island due to an active volcano, for which reason the qualifier will be played
in Trinidad and Tobago. Gauging the mood in the team in the build-up to their
big day, FIFA.com spoke to coach Kenny Dyer and the side’s star asset Anthony
Griffith.Given the circumstances, just to get this far has been an achievement
for Dyer and his charges. Like many of his players, the coach, who once played
for Cypriot outfit Ethnikos Akhnas with the football shirts,
was born in England and only hung up his boots last season, at the grand old
age of 46.I know there’s a lot of talent, and international competition is only
going to help the game grow on the island.Kenny Dyer, Montserrat coach.Taking
stock of their development in the most trying of circumstances, Dyer believes
the only way is up: This is the best Montserrat side I’ve coached. We played in
the Caribbean Cup at the end of 2010, and though it didn’t go too well for us,
we’ve had several new players come into the side since then from some pretty
big leagues.
The team is coming
along very nicely.We are one of the lowest-ranked sides in the FIFA Ranking,
which is mainly because we don’t play that many games, he continues. I want
that to change though. I know there’s a lot of talent, and international
competition is only going to help the game grow on the island.That development
has come despite the intervention of Mother Nature and the eruption in 1995 of
the Soufriere Hills volcano, which forced virtually the entire population of
the island to relocate elsewhere. There are only 6,000 inhabitants left,
explains Dyer with the National
Team Soccer Kit,. In some ways, though, it’s been good for us
because we’ve now got quite a few players overseas and that’s helping us get
better and better.Montserrat’s footballing exiles can be found playing their
trade at clubs in the UK, USA and Australia, and the team have been
working hard in preparation for the qualification curtain-raiser. We’ve already
had two training get-togethers in London, which
helped me find a few new players, and we’ve played a couple of friendlies in Trinidad and Tobago in preparation for the Belize game.
With Montserrat’s new
football stadium not yet ready to host international matches, Wednesday’s game
will take place in the Trinidadian town of Couva. It’s a shame because we have a pitch
that I’d go as far as to say is one of the best in the region, but the dressing
rooms aren’t ready. Hopefully we can cause a shock and play the next round in
front of our own fans.We’ve done really well in the training sessions and the
atmosphere is first-class, both among the home-based players and those of us
who’ve come in from abroad.Anthony Griffith with the Germany
National Team Soccer Jerseys, Montserrat midfielder.The biggest
name in the Montserrat line-up is Anthony Griffith, who was born in England and
qualifies to play for the Caribbean islanders through his father. Though he has
yet to make his debut for the team, the midfielder is one of the best-known
footballers in the country’s modest footballing history due to the fact he
plays for Port Vale, who play in the fourth tier in England.It’s a special
feeling, he says.
There’ll be a
lot of nerves and tension among the players, especially with a lot of them
being young. It’s going to be a great experience for us all, though, and we’re
ready for the challenge. We’ve done really well in the training sessions and
the atmosphere is first-class, both among the home-based players with the Argentine
National Shirt Soccer and those of us who’ve come in from
abroad.As Griffith goes on to explain, he is relishing the chance to play on the
international stage and in a FIFA World Cup qualifier too: I’ve pictured it
several times in my head and I’m sure we’re going to win. It’s also a great
chance for us to announce ourselves to the world. At the end of the day this is
the World Cup we’re talking about and you never know who might be watching. It
could be a great opportunity.The scene is set, then, and the men from Montserrat are ready to show the world that nothing, not
even a volcano, can stop them from taking on the world.
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