Hall ready to give his all By Charmaine Austin, Staff reporter
RECENTLY RECALLED live-wire forward Paul Hall fit right into a high-spirited Reggae Boyz training session at the National Stadium yesterday. Hall, recalled after a 14-month absence, was part of a training session in which the national football squad looked fluent and ready for Sunday's crucial World Cup Qualifying match against Mexico at the "Office". Looking quite lean and sharp, Hall ran through the training session with relative ease. His lithe movements elicited verbal approval from his teammates and spectators in the stands. He was on target with a number of his practice shots and by the look of things will be giving the Mexican defenders a lot of work come Sunday providing he gets a taste of the action. The 29-year-old forward had opted out of the national setup to further his professional career. Following the 1998 World Cup, the little dynamo had a frustrating time at then Premiership club Coventry City where he almost rotted on the bench. He tried desperately to find a new club but none would touch him unless he gave up international football. With a young family to take care of, he had little choice. Now that the club he joined, Walsall, earned a promotion to the First Division Hall has recommitted himself to the Reggae Boyz. "I had definitely stopped playing because that was an issue. I would have missed too many games with them (Walsall) being in the Second Division in England and we got a promotion so I then decided that I would come back even though my team didn't want me to go," he said. "I decided it's time for me to come back and play for the national team because Jamaica's game is brought into line with England's now," he added referring to the internationally streamlined World Cup schedule. While away, Hall said that his love for the game and of his country kept prompting him to again don the black, gold and green. "I didn't want to take time out right now but, you've got to take care of your career and take a chance sometimes. I took a chance four years ago to play for Jamaica and the time has come to do that again, but it's just for the love of the game really," he said. Making a comeback on the Jamaica side hasn't been difficult for the diminutive player: "I've got Fitzroy Simpson guiding me and my good friends Deon Burton and Theodore Whitmore. They all encouraged me and I've also had the support of the other players so I didn't have any fear of coming back. "If I can bring something else to the squad, another dimension that perhaps was not there. Now it's like a complete picture. I think that there is a lot of respect for what I did in the past for the national team and everyone is happy to see me play again." Regarding fitness, Hall reports that he is in good shape. "I'm in good shape. I'm quicker than I was a year ago. I'm fitter and I had a good season behind me last year. Hall was the most active player for his side last season, playing in 48 of 53 games. Meanwhile, yesterday's session was without a number of players including overseas-based Micah Hyde, Jamie Lawrence and the newly-contracted Jermaine Johnson. Ian Goodison who is suspended for this game but is in the squad for next Wednesday's game is still to arrive.
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