Jones, Molino excited

The impact of former national and Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke as the new coach of the country’s senior men’s team appears to have not yet totally sunk in.

A week after a live-in camp for local players at the Home of Football in Balmain, Couva, players still seem to be revelling in the excitement of having their compatriot as their gaffer.

Both midfielder Kevin Molino, who called it quits from the national team after a disagreement with former head coach Angus Eve, and attacking defender Alvin Jones are enjoying the difference that Yorke and his staff of assistant coaches Russell Latapy, Derek King and Neil Wood from England, as well as Australian Anthony Crea, who is the team’s strength and conditioning coach, have brought to the team’s training camp so far.

“His mentality and hard work—when you look at his career, it’s how he excelled at a lot of the clubs he played with, and now he is trying to implement that in the guys for the last few days, and we’ve been going good so far. We just want to continue,” Molino explained.

“This is a dream come true for not just me but the whole of T&T for one of our best and greatest players to lead us to the doorstep of the World Cup. The training has been intense, with new fresh ideas and always trying to play on the front foot. I am just excited like the rest of the guys,” Molino said.

His teammate Jones uttered similar sentiments, saying, “Just coming training every day as a professional, to do your best or try and put your best foot forward day by day. He keeps encouraging us to do our best and challenge the training, so from my point of view, it’s a good sign from them.”

Both players are eager to play their first match under Yorke after expectations of a friendly game during the recent FIFA window did not materialise. The T&T Football Association admitted it experienced difficulty securing a match for the team due to ongoing Nations League matches and other challenges. However, president Kieron Edwards told the media he has been working assiduously to nail down an international friendly encounter for the team outside the FIFA window. The T&T Soca Warriors are second in Group B of the qualifiers on four points from a draw (2-2) with Grenada and a 7-1 victory over the Bahamas. The team will face St Kitts/Nevis in June in their third game.

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