Bajans cool down Vincy Heat

Technical Director Stewart John-Hall may soon find himself sporting a head of grey hair if his young charges do not step up to the plate.{{more}}

The Englishman is hoping that a prospective camp late in April in Cuba will see a turn around in the “stamina” and overall play of the home based players, who would make up the major part of his national senior outfit.

Hall, at the helm of this country’s football programme for the past six weeks, and overseeing his third friendly international, got first hand what mettle the locally based players are made of. Sporting a home grown squad, Vincy Heat lost to Barbados 2-0, last week Thursday night, on the eve of National Hero’s Day, and it was far from a heroic performance.

It was their second such successive defeat at the feet of their easterly neighbours. This stretched the Vincentians’ record in five internationals for the year, to one win, three losses and one draw.

For Hall, it is one win and two losses.

Hall, reflecting on his team’s last outing, said, “It was positive and negative”.

“It gave me the chance to look at more of the players. That was the positive. And the negative was that we had bad preparations”, Hall said.

“The dates of the match (were) changed twice, so we lost five of the players who helped us to beat Guadeloupe. Some left back to the overseas duties, while another picked up an injury”, Hall added.

Switching back to the events on the actual night of the match, Hall stated, “We were good up to the first thirty-five minutes, and as you saw we were full of energy, but as the game went on we lost pac., Fitness is definitely a problem with the team”.

Again he contended: “As I always tell you, we have a lot of work to do”.

The Vincentians started well. They looked purposeful, with some accurate short passing and positioning in the first half hour.

But the Bajans shielded the early pressure and slowly grafted their way into the contest.

Barbados captain Norman Forde’s precision pass in the 38th minute was well read by the frail bodied Wayne Stanford, who slipped the ball under an advancing Melville Andrews in the Vincentian goal.

From there it was all down hill for the Vincentians, who lost their shape and were visibly leg weary and never appeared to want to threaten the Barbados goal. By this time the Barbadians were settled, with the creative Forde at work in the middle of the park.

The ‘Bajans’ could have gone two up early in the second half, but Kenroy Skinner’s shot hit the upright with Andrews well beaten. Skinner was again the villain a few moments after, when his shot was miscued at the near post, and crawled tamely outside.

Vincy Heat’s nearest resemblance of a chance in the second half came when substitute Romano Snagg struck a less than powerful shot that was easily pouched by the Barbados goalkeeper.

An attempted clearance by Andrews ricocheted off the Vincentian defender, but Forde won the footrace to double the Bajans tally in the 84th minute. This goal triggered an exodus of spectators of the smallest crowd that has assembled at the Victoria Park for the three international football friendlies so far for the year.

“Me nah come back fuh watch dem jokers”, shouted one irate male spectator.

“Dem boys wan more hard food fuh eat. Dem too weak”, remarked another in disgust at the team’s display and at the ease at which they bundled off the ball by their more sturdy opponents.

The Vincentians are preparing to face Canada in World Cup Qualifiers in June.(RT)