HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC – Head coach Andrew Bascome has been forced to call up six new players for Bermuda’s return trip to French Guiana for their Caribbean Cup second-round replay on Sunday.
Goalkeeper Dale Eve, striker Rai Simons, midfielder Kacy Milan Butterfield, who has joined English League One side Walsall, and defender Jaylon Bather are among those missing from the 18-strong squad because they are unavailable.Jahquil Hill of English non-league club Ilkeston will replace Eve in goal. College students Tre Ming, Justin Donawa, Jalen Harvey and Detre Bell are among those called up by Bascome.
At 37 Damon Ming, whose early goal gave Bermuda a 1-0 lead before the first match was abandoned in the 41st minute because of a waterlogged pitch on June 1, is the most experienced player in the squad, which will again be captained by Reggie Lambe, a midfielder who has joined English League Two club Carlisle United from Mansfield Town.
“Players have said they are unavailable, otherwise I wouldn’t make six changes,” said Bascome, who missed the first trip to French Guiana after falling ill during the team’s stopover in Florida.
“Maybe the guys had things planned and didn’t expect this match to roll over.”
The winners of Sunday’s replay hope to be one of the four best second-placed teams from group four to advance to the third round of the competition. Dominican Republic topped the group after victories over Bermuda and French Guiana.
Assistant coach Kyle Lightbourne, who was in charge of the abandoned match in Cayenne because of Bascome’s illness, misses the return trip because he will head for Haiti on June 26 with the Bermuda Under-20 team, who will play World Cup qualifying matches against Cayman Islands, Haiti and Anguilla.
