Boyz taking shape for Guyana match
BRACO, Trelawny — Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz will go through a final training session at the Montego Bay Sports Complex starting at 6:00 pm today as the coaching staff try to finalise the starting 11 in tomorrow’s friendly international against Guyana at the same venue.
The squad went through a nearly two-hour training session at Braco yesterday after which head coach Theodore Whitmore told the Jamaica Observer that while they had a starting team in mind they would not be certain until after today’s session.
“You always know who you want to play,” he said, “but anything can happen between now and game time.”
Young striker Dino Williams, who impressed in his debut against Cuba earlier this year, was paired with overseas-based Luton Shelton on the team that could be the starting selection tomorrow.
Joel Senior, Keammar Daley, Ewan Grandison and Rohan Reid were the midfielders in front of the back four of Xavian Virgo, Nyron Nosworthy, Adrian Mariappa and Nathan Smith, with Arnett Gardens’ Damion Hyatt in goal. They were on the team in black shirts, while the other team wore orange-coloured bibs.
Veteran defender Claude Davis, who had partnered Damion Stewart in the central defence on the team in the bibs, along with Harbour View’s Jeremy Lyn were then switched to the other team during the second half of the scrimmage.
Jacomeno Barrett kept goal for the team in the bibs that also included Central America-based Sean Fraser and Scotland-based Omar Daley, who were paired in the midfield.
While saying they were not able to accommodate all the players they would usually have at the JFF residence, Whitmore said he was satisfied with the players they had as they were still trying to work out their best team leading up to the June 8 World Cup Qualifying opener against Guatemala.
“We are never fully satisfied (with the players), but we are pleased with what we have accomplished,” the coach said.
“There are still some areas we are working on and some players we are accessing,” he added.
There is a number of areas where they will be focusing on come Friday.
“We will be working on our marking, transition, team organisation, ball possession and finishing,” he told the Observer.
Asked whether any of the new players had impressed the coaching staff, Whitmore said it was still too early to tell.
“New players will always want to impress coaches in training and games, but we will see as we go on.”
