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.”
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