Trinidad and Tobago international striker Kenwyn Jones used his exceptional leaping ability to score and lead hosts Stoke City to a 2-0 win over Everton in the English Premier League last Saturday at Britannia Stadium.
Jones leapt way above all Everton defenders to meet Mathew Etherington’s cross from the left wing and scored Stoke City’s first goal in the 23rd minute of play. The tally was a long time coming for Jones, who was traded from Sunderland last year and hadn’t registered a point over a long period. Phil Jagielka scored an own goal in the 69th minute to stifle any hopes of an Everton rally. Jones was named Man-of-the-Match.
The loss was the Toffees’ first away defeat in the league since August. Everton manager David Moyes is still miffed at the low goal production of his three top strikers – Louis Saha, Jermaine Beckford and Yakubu – who have scored only three goals between them to have the Toffees struggling at the bottom half of the Premiership standings.
Another Trinidad and Tobago international is making waves abroad as well. Belgium-based midfielder Khaleem Hyland was referred to as “Superman Khaleem Hyland from Trinidad and Tobago” after scoring to help his team Zulte-Waragem draw, 2-2, against highly-ranked AA Gent in a Belgium Premier league game last Thursday
According to media reports, Hyland chested the ball before hitting a half-volley shot from about 20 yards that landed in the upper right corner of the goal. The ball was bounced Hyland’s way after a corner kick by his team. The goal was the midfielder’s fourth in 17 matches for his club.
Cummings to Villa
Jamaican international and Colorado Rapids (MLS) leading scorer Omar Cummings is training with English Premier League club Aston Villa with the possibility of future employment with the English club. “Aston Villa contacted us a few weeks ago with interest to see Omar up close,” Rapids managing director Jeff Plush said on the team’s website. “After discussing the opportunity with Omar, we felt it would be a good chance for him to get a leg up on preseason training and at the same time get the experience of training with a Premier League club.”
Cummings, who scored a team-leading 14 goals and led the team to the MLS title, was also wanted by Mexican club, Necaxa, but the long-term loan deal was rejected. When a recent statement by Cummings’ agent, Patrick McCabe, in the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper that hinted of Cummings being lured by an English club, there was speculation that Aston Villa too sought a long-term deal for the Jamaican striker, but it seems unlikely. “Omar is a Colorado Rapids player,” Plush said. “We explained to Aston Villa that we would be open to discussing a loan agreement for Omar until our season starts on March 19 if it benefited Omar and the Colorado Rapids.”
Barbados Under-17 Appeal
There is a big push by the Barbados Football Federation to raise funds for the Under-17 team, which recently qualified for the CONCACAF finals in Jamaica next month. Federation president Ronald Jones made an appeal for financial aid for the team.
According to Jones, it will cost approximately $7,500 per player from now through the end of the tournament, to be held in Jamaica, Feb. 14 – 27. Jones believes this is what it would take “to maintain this momentum gained from defeating Haiti and Guyana in the second stage of Caribbean qualification in the Dominican Republic.”
Jones continued, “We are talking in the region of $150,000 to support this exercise. That would be getting the team to Jamaica, at least giving them two or three competitive warm-up games here in Barbados or off-island to keep them sharp and focused. “There will also be one or two short camps in Barbados where we can concentrate on not only the tactical (side) but also the psycho-social aspect of their development and I will be part of that,” added the BFA president.
Barbados will face Honduras and Canada in a tough Group D of the 12-team finals, which will see the top four teams advancing to the FIFA World Under-17 finals in Mexico in June.
