“We cannot be lucky all the time” says Coach

A stroke of luck is a necessary component of sport, but do not expect it to come your way all the time.

And, Coach of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Under- 20 team Kendale Mercury knows just that.{{more}}

Mercury, speaking after his team’s two nil defeat by Jamaica last Tuesday night, conceded that his team was lucky against Haiti on Sunday, but that luck did not come their way a second occasion.

“We made a lot of mistakes against Haiti, but were good enough to hold on,” Mercury reflected.

“But we cannot be lucky all the time,” he added.

“At this level it teaches them to make fewer mistakes,” Mercury observed.

He chided his players for not adhering to the game plan, especially in the matches versus Haiti and Jamaica.

Mercury alluded to the mental deficiencies of some of his players, which acted as hindrances during the tournament.

Despite their short comings, Mercury said he was generally pleased with the efforts of the players.

Mercury was grateful that his young charges got the opportunities to play against formidable oppositions.

“It was a good tournament. It was of a high standard,” he observed.

Mercury was pleased generally with the players’ performance, and said it was a marked improvement from the stage when he took over the team some six months ago.

Earl Samuel and Earl Paynter were put in charge of the team when it came out winner of Group D in Grenada last May. Then in their corner was former Technical Director Stewart John Hall.

Mercury took up the mantle when they travelled to the USA on a reciprocal visit in August and successfully navigated them to the Caribbean Zone Finals, after again topping Group G in Curacao in October.

Mercury, in entertaining the mountainous task of overcoming Honduras in the last effort to reach the CONCACAF final, said: “ We just have to go back to the drawing board.”

St. Vincent and the Grenadines finished runner up to Jamaica, and will play the Central Americans, who placed third in the UNAC zone. (RT)