Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 08/Sep 03:36

Trimmingham: Jamaica game won’t be an easy road

JAMAICAN-BASED central defender Josiah Trimmingham said the TT men's football team can expect a stiff challenge when they play rivals Jamaica in their Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica from 8 pm (TT time) on September 9. To kickstart Concacaf's final round of World Cup qualifiers on September 5, the Dwight Yorke-coached TT team played to a goalless draw with Curacao despite dominating proceedings in a second half which saw them creating a number of presentable opportunities. TT outshot their opponents 14 to five, with half of those 14 shots being on target. Conversely, Steve McClaren's Jamaican outfit had little worries in Devonshire, Bermuda on September 5 as they scored twice in each half to open up group B play with a 4-0 win. Damian Lowe and Renaldo Cephas scored in the first half, with Kasey Palmer and Shamar Nicholson adding the second-half goals. While not fully satisfied with a point, the 28-year-old Trimmingham said he and his teammates have no time to lick their wounds as they look to reverse recent fortunes against the Reggae Boyz. "It's not a bad way to start (the final round). We wanted to go out there and give our all, which we did. Unfortunately, we didn't get three points. We're settling for one at the moment and moving on to the other games ahead," Trimmingham told TT Football Association media on September 6. He said Yorke wants the team to be more fearless in their approach and the big centre back said he would like to see more consistency going forward from his teammates. At the invitational Unity Cup in May, TT were defeated 3-2 by Jamaica on a day when defender Richard King scored a stoppage-time penalty to seal the win for McClaren's charges. Trimmingham, who plays for Montego Bay United, was not in the TT squad for the Unity Cup. In February, Trimmingham was in the thick of the action, though, and played both matches as TT tussled with Jamaica in more friendly action. TT lost the first game 1-0, with Trimmingham stealing the spotlight in the second friendly as he scored at both ends in a 1-1 draw. If Trimmingham could find himself on the scoresheet for TT again in a few days, it would go some way to helping Yorke's team to get a positive result against Fifa's 70th-ranked nation in what is expected to be a frenetic environment. "It's not going to be an easy fight. We know Jamaica is one of the top teams in the region. We will obviously prepare properly for that game and I think we'll be looking forward to a good matchup against Jamaica." In Concacaf's final round of qualifying, the three group winners advance automatically to the World Cup, with the two best second-placed teams advancing to an intercontinental playoff. After the Jamaica game, TT will return to qualifying action when they play away to Bermuda and Curacao on October 10 and 14, respectively. They will do their best to stay within the top two spots before group play resumes. Trimmingham hailed the "outstanding performance" of debutant Kobi Henry, alongside goalkeeper Denzil Smith and full-backs Rio Cardines and Noah Powder, who contributed to TT's clean sheet against Curacao in the opening game. Just over 20,000 supporters turned out for the Curacao match and Trimmingham said he and his teammates will do their part to ensure the stands remain packed. "First and foremost, the electrifying feeling from the fans just knowing you have a sold-out stadium. It was really good to have that 12th man support," he said. "We didn't do them much justice by not winning and getting the three points, but I promise we will give a lot more than we showed that night. Having all the digital displays and all the positive marketing was really helpful for us and you can see by the turnout of fans what it really did for TT football." The post Trimmingham: Jamaica game won’t be an easy road appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.