This country’s senior footballers will not be without support of local fans when they come up against Panama in their World Cup qualifier next Saturday after arrangements were made this week to have a BWIA Charter flight touch down in Panama City on the day for the match at the Estadio Rommel Fernández.
Close to 150 odd fans will make the trip after efforts by TSTT, the Ministry of Sport and the 2006 Local Organizing Committee ensured that team captain Dwight Yorke and his “Warriors” will not be total strangers at the affair.
TTFF special advisor Jack Warner has also arranged for the Angostura Woodbrook Playboys Steel Orchestra to be at the venue while TSTT is expected to have Laventille Rhythm Section in the mix as well. Warner and All Sport Promotions’ Anthony Harford were instrumental in ensuring the charter trip came off and the other parties wasted no time in buying into it.
An invitation to Honourable President Max Richards was also accepted and he will fly in to Panama on Saturday from Belize to offer his support to Leo Beenhakker’s men.
At the moment limited seats are available on the charter and interested persons can enquire through the TTFF headquarters, Dundonald Street, Port of Spain.
The charter will also accommodate the entire T&T team back to Trinidad on the night following the match in Panama which means that Beenhakker's men will be checked in at the Crowne Plaza Hotel by Sunday morning ahead of the Wednesday clash with Mexico at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
On the playing pitch, while there was good news for the Trinidad and Tobago camp with goals coming for skipper Dwight Yorke and Chris Birchall, there was also a worrying indication as defender Brent Sancho left the pitch in tears on 60 minutes with a hamstring pull in Gillingham's 2-1 loss to Southend on Saturday.
The dreadlocks player went down on attempting to clear a ball and left the pitch immediately. He is carded to undergo a scan on Sunday to determine the extent of the blow.
"It's exactly one of those most disappointing things to go through in a game like this especially before the kind of games I was looking forward to next week," Sancho told TTFF Media.
"It's frustrating because right now I feel as if I'm on some other planet because I don't what the situation is right now. Hopefully something good will come through tomorrow," Sancho said. It seems unlikely though that Sancho will make the trip as head coach Leo Beenhakker has already named Cyd Gray as a fill in.
Beenhakker has already been forced to include home-based defender Anton Pierre in place of Gillingham defender Ian Cox who is out with a knee injury.
In other action, Stern John fought on and went close on at least three occasions as Derby County drew 1-1 with Leicester City. The game was much more of a local derby after the break and both Smith and John saw low shots fizz the wrong side of the uprights as Derby pressed forward.
"Derby responded and Kisnorbo's strong challenge was all that stood between Stern John and his first Derby goal after neat approach play saw the Trinidad striker turn in on goal but as the Rams struggled to up their tempo again Phil Brown opted for changes. John lashed a shot just a foot wide of the post after shaking off Dublin on the edge of the box. The striker was almost in again a minute later but Johansson got back to cover."
Yorke meantine, again lived up to his star billing as the Hyundai A-League's shining light, scoring the winning goal as his side came from behind to beat Perth Glory 2-1 at a packed Member's Equity Stadium.
Yorke's pounced to put Sydney in front midway through the second half, after Sasho Petrovski had equalised moments after the break following a contentious free-kick decision.
Birchall played 90 minutes and helped Port Vale got back to winning ways against old rivals Walsall, but they had to come back from behind to do so, with two second half goals.
He gave Vale the lead as early as the 8th minute, only for the visitors to take the lead after an own goal from skipper Sam Collins and a strike from Ishmel Demontagnac.
Striker Kenwyne Jones came on in the 77th minute as Southampton drew 1-1 with Preston North End.
And Carlos Edwards tasted three points on Saturday. Edwards played the full match and cleared a shot off his team's goal line late on Saturday as Luton Town held on for a 2-1 win over Cardiff City. Marvin Andrews was on the bench in Glasgow Rangers' 5-1 beating of Dunfermline. Jason Scotland, Dennis Lawrence and Kelvin Jack all played for their clubs on Saturday and are also injury free. Silvio Spann was not in the start team this weekend for Yokohama but is fit for action while Russell Latapy goes into action on Sunday as Falkirk take on Scottish Premier League leaders Hearts.
The T&T team leaves on Monday for Panama City via Miami where the overseas-based pros will also meet up prior to the connecting flight.