Sport

Boyz, All-Stars in big clash

Downswell..It would have given us the chance to look at Luton Shelton and Ricardo Fuller together. - file

JAMAICA WILL BE fielding a slightly weaker team than the one slated for the Gold Cup when they take on the Wray and Nephew National Premier League All-Star team this evening at the National Stadium.

When the game kicks off at 7:00 p.m., there will be six players that the Jamaicans won't be able to utilise as Andy Williams, Tyrone Marshall, Damani Ralph, Teofore Bennett, Khari Stevenson and Ricardo Fuller, who are all part of the squad, will miss the clash.

Fuller, who joined the Jamaican team earlier, has had to leave on what national coach Wendell Downswell describes as 'urgent personal business' and won't return until Friday.

The absence of Fabian Davis at right-back will be filled in the starting line-up by Tyrone Sawyers, who, Downswell says, has worked well.

Most formidable squad

The Jamaicans' final training session at the Spanish Town Prison Oval yesterday indicated that the starting line-up will be: Donovan Ricketts in goal, defenders Claude Davis, Damion Stewart, Jermaine Taylor, Robert Scarlett, Tyrone Sawyers, midfielders Jermaine Hue, Omar Daley, Jermaine Johnson as well as forwards Luton Shelton and Roland Dean, who has made a return to the team.

Despite having a smaller staff to work with, Downswell is confident that his team will perform well going into the Gold Cup.

"This will be like a send-off for the Gold Cup squad and this will be the most formidable squad we've had since the derailment of the World Cup campaign," he said. "They understand the importance of this to their personal development so they will be coming out purposeful in this game."

The other question niggling at the minds of Jamaican fans is whether the All-Stars can provide the kind of competition necessary for the Boyz, who have not been seriously tested ahead of the Gold Cup after the postponement of this year's Unity Cup in England..

Competitive

"It will be very competitive," Downswell assured. "The All-Stars have a chance to showcase their talent in front of the national technical staff and this will be an opportunity for them so they'll be keen to do well.

"It would have given us the chance to look at Luton Shelton and Ricardo Fuller together," explained Downswell, who seems intent on having the strikers figure in his Gold Cup plans.

"We don't have the ideal preparation that we would have liked but hopefully we can get off to a good start and create a very positive impression at the Gold Cup because we are the Digicel champions and this is important to a number of individual players in terms of them getting contracts because we have a lot of youngsters," the Jamaica coach pointed out.

The Reggae Boyz will face an All-Star squad coached by Geoffrey Maxwell.

All-Stars: Anthony Modeste, Julian McLeish, Richard McCallum, Kasai Hinds, Victor Thompson, Christopher Jackson, Orane Simpson, Jeff Pearce, Kevin Lamey, Shannon Goulbourne, Wolry Wolfe, Kemeel Wolfe, Jason Morrison, Christopher Dawes, Jermaine Anderson, Roberto Fletcher, Derrick Planter, Shawn Coleman, and Weston Forrest. Christopher Jackson, who was also picked for a place in the All-Star team won't be able to make the fixture due to injury.

The team will be managed by Waterhouse's Peter Hibbert.