By Calvin Roberts
Captain of the Golden Jaguars football team Charles ‘Lilly’ Pollard said the team did not stick to its game plan in their return game of the CONCACAF Zone of the FIFA 2010 World Cup qualification match at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence on Sunday.
“We did not play according to our game plan at all. Instead of playing as a unit we played individual football and that cost us a place in the next round. Congrats to Suriname who played the better football on both occasions, but had we stuck to our game plan in this fixture, we would have been the ones rejoicing, but we paid the price for straying from the plan,” the national captain said after the game.
“We knew we had to play to our best in order to come out on top in this game, but the players played an individual game instead of sticking to the game plan,” Pollard said.
The Jaguars needed to win by two clear goals in order to advance to the next round of the qualifiers, but after the first 45 minutes, it was Suriname who were up by two goals thanks to Germaine Van Dyck and Clifton Sanduliet, who also scored when the two teams met at the Andre Kamperveen Stadium Paramaribo two Saturdays ago.
“When we started the game, we were not under any pressure as we knew what had to be done and our preparation leading up to the game was based on that including our finishing as in the away fixture last week, that was a problem,” Pollard further stated.
“Our strikers displayed signs of anxiousness in front of the goal area, thus they were unable to convert the chances that presented itself to them. But having said that, I am disappointed over our finishing and if we want to be a force to reckon with at the International level, our finishing has to be better than what was displayed in those two games against Suriname.”
The Jaguars did waste lots of scoring opportunities throughout the game in Suriname and also at home on Sunday and were fortunate to find the back of the net courtesy of a Nigel ‘Powers’ Codrington bicycle effort late in the game following a superb cross from Howard Newton.
“At the beginning of the game, we decided we were not under any pressure even though at times we may have displayed signs of nervousness. But after we regrouped and got on sound tactically, it became an individual thing and not a team thing anymore and such an act was costly on us.”
Pollard thanked the fans for their strong support and took the time to apologize to them for the erratic performance his team displayed in the game, whilst acknowledging that the support shown today is a strong indication that the fans need more International football here in Guyana.
“The fans clearly showed today that more International matches are needed in Guyana. I am a bit disappointed not only for the team, but the fans who came out in their numbers today to show their support for us. It is a shame the result could not have gone the other way.”
Pollard, however, stated that the Digicel Caribbean Cup which will be played in Jamaica later this year, will be the opportune time for the Jaguars to make amends not only for themselves but for their country.