Goalkeepers Donovan Thomas (left) and Leon Gordon in training at the National Stadium yesterday. They are competing for a place as starter in the national team along with Shawn Sawyers following the recurrence of a pelvic injury to Donovan Ricketts. - Rudolph Brown By Nodley Wright, Staff Reporter
JAMAICA'S NATIONAL football team could be without their top two goalkeepers for another crucial World Cup qualifying match.
Donovan Ricketts, who like Aaron Lawrence missed Jamaica's last game against Trinidad and Tobago on February 28, is injured. Ricketts trained with the squad at the National Stadium yesterday and looked uncomfortable at times. Ricketts has not gotten over a pelvic injury while Lawrence has not recovered from a broken leg.
Technical director Clovis de Oliveira, who waited until almost the last minute to rule Ricketts out of the Trinidad and Tobago game, said yesterday the player was doubtful for Sunday's game against Mexico. "Ricketts, I find is in a little worse situation," de Oliveira said when questioned about Ricketts and Ian Goodison.
"I don't think so," said de Oliveira when asked if he thought the player would be ready for the game. "I doubt it, unfortunately. I have been talking with the player and he needs close care and strength treatment but he is improving no doubt about it.
"He has shown that (he is improving) but we will wait and see. I think we will decide the day before we travel about the goalkeeper. We have 48 hours to decide."
One person hoping to be in line should Ricketts fail the fitness test is Trinidad and Tobago-based goalkeeper Donovan Thomas who trained with the team for the first time yesterday. If eagerness is anything to go by, then he would have impressed technical director, de Oliveira.
"It is the first time that I have seen him and he shows that he is willing. He shows he is in better shape than we were expecting... but we did not have a lot of chance for him today because it was just 20 minutes of the scrimmage even though he worked 40 minutes on technical aspects with (goalkeeper coach) Paul Campbell."
Asked his view of Thomas, Campbell said: "It is just two hours of training but the important thing is what happens in the match training. The players who have been training for a period of time would look a lot better technically and that is how it appears in training.
We worked in the drills and they looked a little bit better technically. He struggled with technique but in the match situation he did okay and it is match training that will determine."
Thomas, who said he got a friendly reception at his first training session, said he had difficulty with the sun but should be at a comfort level in two sessions. "I am getting there. It is my first session but I am used to the morning session at about 8:30 but two sessions and I will be there," he said.
Goodison, who last played competitive football for his club Hull City on February 24 and who represented Jamaica against Trinidad and Tobago, is expected to be fit despite leaving training with an ice pack on the back of his right leg.
"Goodison practised ...he did all of the training today even though he has a minor injury so we are going to be very careful in taking care of him. But we know Goodison, what kind of player he is ... a brave player and no doubt we hope that he will be able to play with us," de Oliveira said.
