After such an auspicious start, Bermuda failed to live up to expectations, with their Caribbean Under-20 World Cup qualifying campaign petering out in disappointment.

Dennis Brown, the Bermuda coach, had hailed his talented squad as a “golden generation” and, after defeating Guadeloupe, the team widely regarded as the favourites in group two, it certainly appeared that there was indeed some merit to his words.

However, after a second- half capitulation in the energy-sapping heat against hosts Dominican Republic on Friday, Bermuda found themselves needing to win yesterday’s final group game against Antigua to stand any chance of advancing to the final round in Trinidad & Tobago in September.

It proved to be a step too far for Brown side’s team, who spluttered to a share of the spoils against the Antiguans, kissing goodbye to their hopes of not only winning the group, but also finishing as one of the two best runners-up after the group stage. All four teams had been on equal number of points before yesterday, but Brown’s side, featuring several British-based players, had to settle for taking four points from three games.

Bermuda, missing Chae Brangman, Calin Maybury, William White and Alanzo Parsons through suspension and the injured Quintonio Lema, made a curiously pedestrian start against Antigua, with neither team displaying much in the way of passing precision.

At least Bermuda were looking defensively sound, with their makeshift central pairing of Terrance Webb and Kiuno Cann, in the absence of White, doing an impressive job of keeping Antigua’s 6ft 4in, 240lb man mountain of a marksman quiet.

Rai Simons, who plundered a hat-trick against Guadeloupe before missing a crucial penalty against the hosts, was showing flashes of attacking flair, but Bermuda were unable to test the Antigua goalkeeper during a cagey first stanza.

Brown made his first change on 51 minutes with Jaz Ratteray-Smith replacing Chikosi Basden with Bermuda looking to offer more in the way of attacking threat.

The switch almost paid immediate dividends with Ratteray-Smith finding himself in a one-on-one situation shortly after his introduction, but he fired his effort wide.

Ratteray-Smith again tried his luck moments later with a strike from distance, but his ambitious effort was easily saved by the goalkeeper. Bermuda conceded a free kick in a dangerous position late on that, bizarrely, the Antigua goalkeeper ventured all the way from his area to take. His lengthy journey proved in vain, however, with his strike sailing well over the bar.

Both teams resorted to a long-ball game as time ebbed away, but neither threatened to break the deadlock with the game ending in a draw that brought the shutters down on a qualifying campaign that offered so much, but delivered very little for Bermuda.