English first-division player to join national squad
By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
July 17, 2002
The Guyana Football Federation has secured the services of a player with English first-division experience to represent this country in the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup preliminaries.
Twenty three year-old 6' 2" English-born Dean Forbes, will travel to Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday to join with the other members of the local squad who will be on a one week tour of the island. Forbes is of Guyanese parentage and once played for the Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace in the English first division.
The defensive midfielder, has scored six goals in his 36 appearance since joining Tooting and Mitcham United in October of last year.
GFF General Secretary George Rutherford disclosed that Forbes made contact with the federation through its website and expressed a desire to play for Guyana.
"On his way back from Japan Mr. Colin Klass was able to meet with Forbes and his manager," Rutherford said adding that the meeting paved the way for Forbes' inclusion on the national squad.
National coach Joseph `Bill' Wilson and staff will have two matches to look at Forbes who is scheduled to arrive in the Twin Island Republic on Sunday.
He is expected to be tried against Police (on Monday) and San Juan Jabloteh the following day. "He is so keen to play for us that he is paying his own return fare," Rutherford said. Meanwhile, the national selectors have trimmed the senior national football team to 20 players with a further two players expected to be dropped before they begin a trip to Trinidad and Tobago tomorrow.
National captain Charles `Lily' Pollard and striker Cary Harris, both of whom play in the Trinidad professional league will join the team there.
The list is expected to be trimmed to 18 players by this afternoon. The Squad is: Goalkeepers: Marlon Hendricks and Richard Reynolds. Defence: Howard Lowe, Neville Stanton, Orville Bobb, Leslie Holligan, Abassy McPherson, Adrian Reid and Shad Fernandes.
Midfield: Kayode McKinnon, Carl Cole, Jermaine Browne, Chavez Hescott, Jermaine Alleyne and Romel Forde. Strikers, Randolph Jerome, Collie Hercules, Gregory Richardson, Matthew Pollard and Delon Glen. The locals, who depart for Trinidad tomorrow, play open the tour with a game against WC Connection on Saturday.