Barbados capped a memorable run at the U-15 FIFA World Cup and Festival by winning the Tier F consolation final on Friday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Barbados defeated Suriname 4-2 in an entertaining final, with goals from Kato Morris, Raezario Roach, Aamir John and Kevio Bellamy.
Although a penalty shootout defeat to Grenada in their opening Tier F match ended their hopes of remaining in contention for the overall title, Barbados remained unbeaten thereafter and finished the tournament on a winning note.
Following the loss to Grenada, Barbados defeated the US Virgin Islands 5-0 before overcoming Bhutan 5-3 in the quarter-finals and Papua New Guinea 6-2 in the semi-finals.
The team is expected to return to the island on November 2.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY from Azerbaijan, coach Stefan King said he was delighted with the way his players responded after a difficult start to the competition.
“Having gone through a pretty tough first few games, we were able to take the lessons from that and once the teams were a little bit more comparable size-wise, technique-wise and ability-wise, we were able to show what we have as a Caribbean nation.
“I was very happy with the way that they accepted the challenge and they didn’t let their spirit drop. We just looked at that as a learning opportunity and then really went into the second phase with a new spirit and a new mission, and they responded very well.”
King said the team’s improvement in the latter stages of the tournament did not require any major adjustments, showing the players always had the ability to compete internationally.
“Nothing really changed between the first and second halves of the competition. It really boiled down to being a physical thing. Our team is generally not the largest and once the teams … were more of that Caribbean kind of size [and stature], where we could battle a little bit harder and not have to face some absolute giants of kids, we definitely were able to compete more,” he said.
King said the players were particularly pleased that the team’s development goals were met, with every player receiving game time during the tournament.
“Before we left, I made a promise to families and players that in the spirit of development, we would give everybody a chance to play and would not just stick with one core group of players.
“So now we’re quite happy that all of the boys had a chance to come over here and we can leave saying that all of our boys are pretty excited with the amount of time that they got to play,” he added.
Looking ahead, King said the experience gained in Azerbaijan could benefit both the players and the wider football programme in Barbados.
“The first thing for a few of the Barbadian boys would be a possibility of vying for a spot on the upcoming Under-17 World Cup team with that group that’s going to be coached by [Marlon] Harte that did so well in Trinidad earlier this year. I think it’s also important that … we come back and do a post-mortem of the tournament and then kind of speak with the people at the BFA.”
King said the support received throughout the tournament reflected the effort being made to develop football in Barbados.
“We had the president come and watch our games and we had general secretary Nicholas Branker call every day to congratulate us on our performances. We also had local coaches like Kerry Trotman rooting for us and cheering us on, so I think it’s about sitting down together … with other coaches who are playing significant roles in [the] development of players in Barbados and trying to share the experience that we had here.”
(KH)
