Recently confirmed Golden Jaguars Head-Coach Jamaal Shabazz said Sunday while Guyana’s 2-0 victory over Caribbean Football Union (CFU) rival St. Lucia was important for the management staff and the players, it is was especially significant to the people of the nation.
Guyana exacted revenge on St. Lucia on Sunday at the National Stadium at Providence for their 2014 loss in the Caribbean Cup tourney following goals on either side of half time from Eon Alleyne and Sheldon Holder.
The victory symbolised Guyana’s first home win in over three years following their famous 2-1 win over Trinidad and Tobago on November 11 2011 which allowed Guyana to qualify for the semi-final round of the CONCACAF 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Guyana will now face off against Grenada at the same venue this Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference following the conclusion of the fixture, Shabazz said while it was important to secure a win for the team, the victory was more important for the fans and the corporate community as it illustrates that the current organization is serious about the development of the sport.
“We have seen an organisation come together in just under five months and we see football back in and that’s the kind of seriousness, so the victory wasn’t for us, but was for the public and corporate Guyana to see a desire from an organisation that is very serious about taking Guyana’s football forward.”
Questioned what the victory meant to the players, the Trinidad and Tobago native said it brought a level of reassurance within the setup and shows that once they dedicate themselves to the national programme, the nation’s football can progress at this level.
According to Shabazz, the decision of England-born and based duo Matthew Briggs and Neil Danns who play for Milwall FC and Bolton Wanderers respectively to play for Guyana illustrates the progression that the programme is currently undertaking.
“Matthew and Neil consented and accepted our offer to come and play for us which says a lot but also, we have a couple other players we want to bring in.
“Pernell Shultz and Trayon Bobb, who we didn’t consider for this game because we’re in the middle of a tournament. These games are what we’re going to use in the FIFA time allotted to select our final squad so from here on, we’ll send some players back to their clubs and bring in a couple and widen the pool.”
Shabazz said that in order to bring in those players, financial assistance is required and as such is calling on corporate Guyana to step up and play their part in helping to assist the national programme.
Golden Jaguars Captain Chris Nurse during a brief address said the current crop of players had a point to prove to the previous administration after they were excluded from the previous Caribbean Cup campaign.
“I think the team had something to prove because a lot of players felt a bit disgruntled because the way they were left off the CFU squad last year against St Lucia and a lot of players wanted to prove a point that had the best team been selected for that tournament, Guyana could have been playing in the Gold Cup this year against Mexico and United States.”
Asked about his thoughts on the performance and the areas that the team can improve on, the English native said “We’re still developing as a team, taking it game-by-game and I think the fitness was better but there’s a lot that we can do as a team.
“It was a complete performance and we kept a clean sheet and came out with the win and that’s what important in International football” he said.
