Match postponed following FIFA suspension

Montserrat's 2014 World Cup campaign is in limbo following the postponement of their preliminary qualifying second-leg match in Belmopan, Belize. The Belizeans – who won the first leg 5-2 – have had their FIFA membership suspended following ‘governmental influence.’ The game was cancelled after the Belize government said that it would not provide its Football Federation (the FFB) with security for the visiting team or match officials. A new date for the fixture has not been set, but FIFA has said that it must take place no later than July 10, 2011 on the proviso that the situation between the FFB/Belizean government has been resolved and the suspension lifted.

World Cup disappointment in Trinidad

Montserrat’s World Cup dreams were shattered by Belizean hat-trick hero Deon McCauley in the opening qualifying game for the 2014 tournament, Belize eventually running out 5-2 victors. The Montserrat team featured many changes from their last fixture against Saint Kitts and Nevis in October's Carribean Cup, most notably the debut of Port Vale midfielder Anthony Griffith, who was made captain. A rain-sodden Ato Bolden stadium in Trinidad provided the venue for this first leg tie which attracted a crowd of around 150. Despite a bright start by the Montserratians, McCauley’s clinical finish put Belize ahead mid-way through the first-half after a period of sustained pressure. Parity was restored just before half-time though when Jaylee Hodgson converted a cross from Leovan O’Garro, raising hopes of an upset. However, Belize took control of the game early in the second-half, Harrison Roches scoring their second, before an Elroy Kuylen goal put the game beyond the islanders. McCauley completed his treble with further strikes in the 75th and 83rd minute, before Hodgson grabbed his and Montserrat’s second, four minutes from the end with an excellent header.

Speaking to fifa.com, Montserrat coach Kenny Dyer was disappointed with his side’s margin of defeat, but looking forward to the second leg in Belmopan, Belize on Sunday: “We put in a lot of effort in our preparation and it all fell apart in the second half in the space of ten minutes or so. That was the most disappointing thing for me because we did well in the first half. At half-time we thought there was a good chance we could get something from this game, but it didn’t turn out that way. Now we’ve got to re-group and get ourselves ready for the next game. We can still hold our heads high and go to Belize and come away with a positive result.”

As well as the honour of kicking-off the 2014 World Cup campaign, the match was also a landmark for Montserratian football in that it was the first time they have scored twice in a qualification game, whilst Jaylee Hodgson is now his country’s leading scorer in World Cup history. Perhaps he and his teammates can write another chapter into it on Sunday.

Montserrat team: Micah Hilton, Kendall Allen, Anthony Griffith (captain), Alex Dyer, Leovan O’Garro, Wayne Dyer (sub: Nyron Dyer 90 mins), Darryl Roach, Junior Mendes, Julian Wade (sub: Alexander Bramble 77 mins), Jaylee Hodgson. Subs not used: Andrew Julius, Clifford Joseph, Benjamin Manning, Stanford Jarrett and McPherson Meade.

Match highlights

Montserrat begins World Cup campaign

Less than a year after Spain became World Champions in Johannesburg, Montserrat begins its bid to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil this month with a two-legged preliminary round tie against Belize. The two games are one of five qualifying ties between the ten lowest ranked teams in the CONCACAF region, Montserrat being the 35th and last-placed. Indeed, Belize (172nd in the overall FIFA World Rankings) is the highest-ranked opponent the Montserratians could have played at this stage. The first leg, taking place on June 15th in the Trinidadian town of Malabar, will count as Montserrat's 'home' game, the dressing rooms at their new stadium not being ready in time. The return game is four days later in Belmopan, Belize

This will be Montserrat’s fourth attempt to qualify for the World Cup, the previous three having ended at the first attempt. In 2000, they performed admirably in only losing 1-6 on aggregate to the Dominican Republic, Wayne Dyer scoring their first ever World Cup goal. However, in 2004 they were beaten 0-20 over two games by Bermuda (including a record 0-13 defeat in the first leg) and 1-7 by Suriname in a one-off qualifier in 2008, Vladimir Farrell scoring their solitary goal.

Recent form suggests that the Montserratians will struggle against Belize. During last November’s Caribbean Cup campaign (the team's last competitive action) they lost all three matches, conceding sixteen without reply to the considerably higher - ranked Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (0-7), Barbados (0-5) and Saint Kitts and Nevis (0-4). As a result, they are now rated by FIFA at joint-202nd and last in the world alongside Papua New Guinea, American Samoa, Anguilla, San Marino and Andorra. However, their preparations for the forthcoming fixtures have been boosted by the call-up of Port Vale midfielder Anthony Griffith to the squad. The 24-year old English League Two player was born in Yorkshire, England, but is eligible for Montserrat through his late father who was born on the island. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to play international football at any level and I’m delighted to have been called up,” he told his club’s website. “My dad died when I was a young boy, so it’s an opportunity for me to learn about the history and heritage of where he came from and link up with family members." Griffith, who received Port Vale's Player of the Year award for the 2009-10 season, will bring much needed experience to the Montserrat team, having also played in the English Football League with Doncaster Rovers, Oxford United and Darlington. "I'm really looking forward to the challenge of international football," he added.

Montserrat’s coach and former player, Kenny Dyer, is confident that his men can cause an upset against the Belizeans. “Our chances are very good, “ he told fifa.com. “They (Belize) have more experience than us, but we are a quality side, especially with the inclusion of some players who play abroad, in the UK and the Australian league. We’ve already had two training get-togethers in London, which helped me find a few new players, and we’ve played a couple of friendlies in Trinidad and Tobago in preparation for (this) game.” English-born Dyer, who played professionally for Cypriot-side Ethnikos Akhnas, only hung up his boots last year at the age of forty-six. He has coached the national team since 2008 and feels that Montserratian football has a bright future: “We played in the Caribbean Cup at the end of 2010, and though it didn’t go too well for us, we’ve had several new players come into the side since then from some pretty big leagues. I know there's a lot of talent, and international competition is only going to help the game grow on the island. The team is coming along very nicely. This is best Montserrat side I’ve coached. Hopefully, we can cause a shock and play the next round in front of our own fans.”