RUSTINESS showed but there were glimmers of positivity when the Trinidad and Tobago women’s football team returned to action after a two-year hiatus and drew goalless against Panama in a welcome international friendly match, at Ato Boldon Stadium, in Couva, on Thursday.
Under cloudy skies and a thick cover of Sahara dust, the Women Warriors braved the elements to churn out a fair result. Panama looked better composed in the opening 45 minutes but the TT team bounced back to deliver a more dominant display in the second period.
After the match, newly appointed women’s interim head coach Kenwyne Jones was pleased with the team’s performance. Although there were a couple of individual and tactical errors during the match, Jones commended his players for showing resilience against a tough Panama unit.
“After not being an active team for two years, I think the team performed really well. Of course, there are instances in the game where Panama caused us a few problems but I thought that the team was very resilient and dealt with it well.
“It’s the first game for such a long time and we have a long way to go. I think from here we can only expect a lot of progression,” said Jones on his national coaching debut.
In the first half, the visitors came close to scoring when striker Marta Cox struck the top left of the crossbar. Luckily, the ball fell within reach of TT custodian Kimika Forbes.
Forwards Kennya ‘Yaya’ Cordner and Raenah Campbell had few attempts in the opening half and midfielder Maylee-Attin Johnson tried valiantly to champion the midfield.
The national team showed some threat at times but ended the first period without a shot on target.
In the second half, TT looked better and were able to string together more passes and generate more chances in front of goal. Defenders Rhea Belgrave and Lauryn Hutchinson had to work overtime as Panama also pressed for the opening goal.
They were almost rewarded twice courtesy of substitute Yamileth Palacio but Forbes came up big on both occasions.
Attin-Johnson, winger Liana Hinds and Cordner linked up on three occasions to produce goal-threatening attempts but neither chance created found a finishing touch to beat Panama goalkeeper Farissa Cordoba.
A defensive error by Victoria Swift in the last 15 minutes saw Panama come close to scoring but again, Forbes was there to clean up.
However, the Women Warriors would survive a late charge for their Panamanian counterparts and now recover and recharge for Monday’s second friendly match against the Central Americans.
Jones commended Forbes and the entire team on an improved performance in the second half.
“She’s (Forbes) has been a really strong presence for the team. When she makes saves as she does and commands the box like she does it gives the team the impetus to keep going. You can see the energy passing on from her to the defenders onto the midfield.
“Today we fought really hard. We dug in. The surface was really heavy. Amidst the situation of players coming in late, travel situations I think we
