As a selected Barbados women’s football squad prepares to begin their training for the 2014 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Women’s Caribbean Cup, the team’s head coach has expressed dissatisfaction over the progress which has been made thus far.
Lennux Ferdinand, who took over as head coach in 2012, told the SUNSPORT that it had taken too long to get the squad together.
His comments come just days after naming a provisional 37-woman squad to compete in the competition, which will also serve as a qualifying phase for the Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015.
“I’m not really satisfied with the time it has taken to get them together. But now that that we have, I now have to get them ready, both physically and mentally,” Ferdinand lamented.
“I sincerely believe they this squad has what it takes to give a give account of themselves, and it is now up to the girls to work hard and prove me right.”
He said that having just arrived back home from Mexico and seeing the female players there, he felt that Barbados’ players were just as or even more talented.
For this reason, Ferdinand explained that he fully expected the team to be very competitive against teams such as Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Haiti and Mexico.
“I expect the girls to make it at least to the second round if not go further,” he insisted.
Speaking about the squad which comprises 13 newcomers and ten overseas based players, Ferdinand explained that he was more focused on developing the younger players.
It has meant that there is no room for veteran players Cosette Brathwaite, Patrina Brathwaite or Tonia Jordan, neither of whom participated in the trials.
“I am looking to build a squad around our young core. The seasoned players such as Cosette and Patrina haven’t really trained, so I really haven’t been able to assess them.
“I have until 2015 to get them prepared so I will be working very hard with them to get them fit and up to standard, because I believe they have the potential to take us very far,” Ferdinand said.
He said that he was hoping that the Barbados Football Association would arrange two friendly matches each in January, February and March against either Grenada, St Vincent or Jamaica to help in their preparations.
SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: – Rhea Holder, Tamisha Marshall, Cadijah Mars, Lian Rock
Defenders: – Shonna Evelyn, Tonia Deane, Shonelle Stephen, Sheena Herbert, Shakieta Marshall, Chazelle Cumberbatch, Kerry Bascombe, Yaima Payne, Shanice Patterson, Latifah Forde, Jeneva Miller, Alyssa Yard, Taylor Russell.
Midfielders: – Shanice Stevenson, Soraya Toppin-Herbert, Sheree Spencer, Melissa Rocheford, Crystal Carrington, Gabriella Lopez, Hannisha Hoyte, Kerry Trotman, Joelle Gibson, Aronda Morris, Julia Taylor, Tiffany White, Kamillah Burke, Kiana Elliott, Tori-Ann Cadogan
Forwards: – Aaliyah Alleyne, Washida Blackman, Adrienne Forde, Felicia Jarvis, Makela Alleyne.
