With less than a month to go before hosting Trinidad and Tobago in their return 2014 World Cup qualifier, Bermuda are knocking themselves for requesting to switch venues for it’s second Group B match and its head coach Devarr Boyles has criticized the playing surface at Providence Stadium.
Bermuda lost 2-1 to Guyana on Tuesday and Boyles did not hold back his feelings.
“It was really shocking to think how a match could be played on this surface. The wicket ran right through the middle of the park.
It was a cricket ground that we played on. Where we would have liked to play the ball through there was a cricket pitch,” said Boyles.
T&T will meet Guyana at the same venue in November. The Guyana government has pledged USD 5,000 to the team for every win plus housing lots to all players and staff members if they progress to the semi-final round ahead of T&T.
Bermuda’s Boyles is expecting his team to hold their heads up for the October 7 match against T&T. Currently Bermuda are third on the table behind Guyana and T&T and one spot above Barbados.
“We gave a good account of ourselves, we always knew it would be a challenge for us on the road. But over the course of both matches we would have loved to get something from them, especially in this one.With this being said it is all to do in the fact that we have to get some points at home. We have two games already on the road out of the way so we can look to improve. The two top teams (Guyana and Trinidad) are both on six points and have to play each other as well as come to Bermuda to play us, and so I think the onus on us is to get results against them”
Bermuda’s ex-technical director Derek Broadley says it would be ignorant to judge Bermuda’s 1-0 loss to T&T as well as the 2-1 defeat away to Guyana particularly as the game should have been Bermuda’s opening home game had it not been for a lack of funding which saw the BFA request a switch in venue.
“These two games haven’t been a disaster for Bermuda,” said Broadley. “I still think they’re punching way above their weight. To take on Trinidad in their own backyard, a team with –Premier League stars, and have 43 percent of the possession is a massive achievement.
“Had (Bermuda) returned home to play that game after a great result against Trinidad, and with the fans behind them, would have there been a different result? “If money had been no object would the BFA requested to switch that game? Would Bermuda now be sitting on three points?” said Broadley.
