Despite the Reggae Boyz moving a step closer to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup, Head Coach Steve McClaren says things will not get easier for his side as they prepare for October’s international window.

The national senior men’s team made it two wins from two games to top Group B in the final round of Concacaf World Cup qualifying with a 2-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

Goals from home debutant Bailey Cadamarteri and midfielder Jon Russell gave Jamaica the victory with T&T seeing three of their efforts ruled out for offside.

Though Trinidad boasted better statistics, including 56 per cent possession, McClaren says he was pleased with the team’s professional performance.

“I really liked what I saw and especially the first 20 minutes in spells where we really built from the back but we got nervous towards the end and maybe were a little tired,” he said. “But we got through, through grit and determination and so I can’t fault the players at all for whether it was good or bad performance or how we want to play — we got the result and that’s the most important.”

This win and the 4-0 result over Bermuda on Friday move the Reggae Boyz to six points, two ahead of second-placed Curacao, five ahead of third-placed Trinidad, and six ahead of fourth-placed Bermuda. It means that Jamaica could secure World Cup qualification next month with wins against Curacao on October 10 and Bermuda on October 14 as the group winner qualifies automatically.

However, McClaren says his team needs to stay grounded as their opponents will only get better.

“I certainly learned from the last year that there are no easy games in the Caribbean,” he said. “I think that was proven against Bermuda — how we went about planning for that game, went about playing that game, and they’ve qualified for a World Cup qualifying group so they’re a good team. They took Curacao to 3-2 and you wouldn’t [imagine] that. That just shows what a professional performance that was that we put in and also tonight in terms of controlling the game.”

Though impressed with the efforts of those called upon for the two fixtures, McClaren is optimistic that several of his senior stars will return next month including captain Andre Blake, Leon Bailey, Demarai Gray, and Ethan Pinnock.

“We hope some of these players who have been injured, we hope they come back and play games,” McClaren said. “We want the players who have come on this camp to maintain the form, keep fit, don’t get injured and make sure that we’ve got a good pool of players to pick from.

“We’re progressing well and at this stage of the season, it’s all about results and God willing, we’ve got a bit of luck on our side as well which you need but as I say, tougher games ahead.”

It will be a tougher task for T&T to qualify as group winners, but Head Coach Dwight Yorke still believes they have a chance after seeing recent performances.

“One thing for sure, there’s 12 points to play for. I don’t think Jamaica will be thinking that they’re in the clear as yet,” he said. “Curacao is a very good team and they will find that out when they play against them.

“We’ve got to make sure that when we come together again that we take care of the games in front of us. That’s all we can concentrate on. We can’t change the dynamics of the results now but what we can control is what’s in front of us. We play Bermuda next, they’re coming off two defeats so I would say, looking at it from our point of view, that it’s a must-win game to get us back into the thick of things. But it’s certainly not over — there’s a lot of points to be played.”

Reggae Boyz striker Bailey Cadarmarteri (left) gets by Trinidad & Tobago’s Andre Rampersad (second right) and Josiah Trimmingham. (Joseph Wellington)

Reggae Boyz winger Renaldo Cephas (left) outpaces Trinidad & Tobago’s Rio Cardines. (Joseph Wellington)

The Reggae Boyz celebrate after Jon Russell’s goal. (Joseph Wellington)