There may be satisfaction amongst the players and staff of TT Pro Leagues newest club, Central F.C. after seeing themselves go on top of the TT Pro League following their second victory of the campaign. But according to Head Coach, Graham Rix, their task has just become harder.
“Obviously, it’s great to be on top, especially with a game in hand over most of the other teams, but it does add to the pressure.” Former Chelsea coach, Rix, explained that such a positive start can motivate the opposition to raise their game. “Every team will want to be the first to beat us, so every game will be tough. But the players know this and are focused on our own performance not that of the opposition.”
Certainly there will be many who will be surprised by the Sharks start to the season. “We started our preparation way behind the other clubs. People told me that my players were rejects and has beens, but I don’t believe that. I had no prior history to cloud my opinion and every player was signed on merit.”
Rix did admit, however, that some players needed to work on their fitness. “You can instantly see talent in a player. The test is to see if they are hungry enough to get back into shape. A huge part of our success so far is a credit to our trainer, Lindsay (Davis).” Davis worked with Rix at the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain. “Lindsay brings so much to the club. He’s developed a nutritional diet that sees the players given breakfast before training and lunch after. The lads have really bought into this mindset and, in fact, actually contribute towards the cost of the food.” Rix added that Davis has made a big impact on the players attitude towards fitness.
“One of the areas that I focused on initially is the need for a proper nutritional diet. Along with diet, we introduced a dynamic fitness programme and it seems to be paying off.” Davis said the importance of sustained stamina was paramount. “When you consider that we scored our goals in the second half, it’s clear that our players were more lively than T&TEC in the final stages.”
It’s been noted that players like Hayden Tinto and Marvin Phillips’ form has improved and appear to be enjoying their football. “Marvin has had to fight for his starting spot, and I think the competition has done him good. He’s a great keeper, but Shane Mattis is keeping him on his toes. Shane’s a great lad to have around the squad and I feel fortunate to have two keepers of such quality. I ‘m not interested in reputations or past achievements. Players like Tinto had to work as hard as everyone else to make the starting line up. He’s there on merit and I believe we haven’t seen the best of him yet.”
Tyrone Charles scored Central’s equaliser after Keeron Benito put T&TEC into a first half lead. “It was a great freekick by Ty” said Rix, no stranger himself to spectacular free kicks in his Arsenal days. “It’s an acquired skill to get the ball up over the wall and then below the crossbar. It was perfectly executed.”
Captain, Anthony Wolfe scored his second goal in two games to take the 3 points for the Sharks. “Wolfies becoming a predator again” Said Rix “I think he lost some form when he was switched to full back for the National team, but, to me, he’s 100% striker. He gives so much off the ball, working hard to close down and creating space for our midfielders. People tend to judge strikers by the number of goals they score, but when you look at players like Rooney, much of their impact is in creating opportunities for others.”
Central will look to make it 3 wins out of 3 against St Anns Rangers on Saturday, but Rix is far from complacent.” It’s a bit of a cliché, but there are no easy games. Rangers took the lead against W.Connection on Friday and they didn’t fall behind until the 83rd minute. We treat every game the same and we will certainly respect every club that we play.”