BARBADOS won’t be handing Group B on a platter to Trinidad and Tobago.
Or Guyana for that matter.
National senior football team manager Frank Gill isn’t counting his Tridents out of the running for the top spot in their World Cup Qualifying CONCACAF Zone in spite of Barbados’ recent spate of defeats to their Caribbean rivals.
He was highly optimistic of the Bajans’ chances of advancing to the next round days after the ultramarine and blue were drawn with neighbours Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana along with Bermuda in the second round.
“We’re definitely not going into this group looking at ourselves as underdogs,” Gill told NATIONSPORT in a telephone interview.
“It really comes down to what we do on the day, because Trinidad right now [are] waning and they’re not the powerhouses they used to be.”
But Barbados’ recent record doesn’t support Gill’s fervour, as the Tridents’ senior side haven’t beaten the Soca Warriors in seven tries this decade.
It’s an unflattering run that includes successive losses in 2008, highlighted by a 3-0 spanking in Macoya.
However, Barbados have not fared much better against Guyana, having already dropped a pair of “friendlies” on the South American continent just three months ago.
And that’s where Barbados are slated to open their second-round qualifying campaign on September 1 after drawing the Golden Jaguars first up.
Gill, though, is undaunted by travelling to their southern neighbours despite Guyana’s having the better recent record and world ranking (114 to Barbados’ 145).
“Again, to me it all comes down to the day, because I feel Barbados [are] a team that should get the better of Guyana in any tournament,” said Gill of the anticipated opening clash.
“The last time we played them we were under tremendous strain to play on the same night we arrived, yet we were defeated by a goal in the dying moments.”
But the Tridents didn’t even get any measure of solace on the return fixture after settling for a 1-1 draw at the National Stadium one week later.
It was just one of a long line of results in which Barbados have failed to come out on the winning end since a 5-0 victory over Montserrat exactly one year ago.
“We didn’t do as well as our fans might have wanted, but the coaching staff saw some improvement in some of the younger players and there were good individual performances to speak of,” said Gill.
“I think it will do us some good that we played Guyana in those matches, plus we’ve been training since early April so the preparation should have us ready for these qualifiers.”
Barbados rank ahead of only Bermuda (185) in the four-team group, which will be contested on a home-and-away basis.
After travelling to Guyana next month, Barbados will host Trinidad on September 5 and Guyana on October 6.
