qualifier with Bermuda without their top goal-scorer Derek Edwards and inspirational midfielder Beverly Deterville.

Antigua had hoped to have Edwards, scorer of 22 goals in 24 international matches, fit for the Bermuda trip but he has not fully recovered from a hairline fracture of the instep.

The absence of Edwards leaves teenager Gary Gonsalves and his older brother Everton to lead the team's quest for goals as they seek to bounce back from a 3-0 first-leg loss. They need to win by a four-goal margin or three goals with a better away scoring record to advance to the next round, a round-robin phase involving four teams.

Deterville, who played in Bermuda two years ago, was Antigua's best player in the first match and his unavailability through injury leaves them without one of their key play-makers in midfield.

Antigua will be especially anxious to restore team morale following their disappointing performances in the Shell Caribbean Cup where they drew 1-1 with Surinam before losing 3-1 to Martinique and 7-0 to Trinidad and Tobago who went on to beat Jamaica 3-1 in the final.

As was reported by The Royal Gazette two weeks ago, Albert Caisey and Voorhees Astwood are both ruled out of Saturday's match because of their religious beliefs, which means at least two changes from the team that started against Antigua in the first leg.

Neil Paynter, who played at left-back against the United States two weeks ago, arrived back from college on Sunday and trained with the Bermuda team last night as did Devarr Boyles and Jerry Webb. Paul Cann is due back from college on Friday. Bermuda, in anticipation of winning this tie, have already begun corresponding with the teams they expect to compete against in the round-robin phase in regards to setting up playing dates. There will be four teams in the group, Canada, Bermuda or Antigua, El Salvador or Nicaragua, and Trinidad and Tobago or Jamaica and the six matches must be played between August 15 and December 31.

"We've recommended that we meet in Bermuda and have already sent information to them requesting they consider it,'' BFA administrative assistant Joe L.

Brown said yesterday.

Such a proposal could be discussed further by Dr. Gerard Bean, Bermuda's representative to the FIFA Congress in Switzerland later this week.

The dates for the six round-robin matches will likely influence the scheduling of matches in the domestic programme here for the first half of the next season.

FIFA has asked to be notified of the dates for the round-robin matches by August 5 even though the Trinidad and Tobago-Jamaica tie will not be completed until August 16 when the second leg is played in Jamaica. Trinidad and Tobago host the first leg this Sunday.

Nicaragua and El Salvador play their first leg in Nicaragua on July 19 and the return leg in El Salvador on July 23.

Antigua tour party: Eleston Adams (manager), Shelly Clarke (assistant manager), Rohan Benjamin (coach), Mervyn Richards (assistant coach), Ivor Luke, Everton Gonsalves, Gary Gonsalves, Vernel West, Daryl Greenaway, Algin Isaac, Veron Edwards, Eustace Ferrance, Gladsworth Richards, Quentin Clarke, Dellon Thomas, Joey Christopher, Daston Williams, Sowerby Gomes, Keithley Green, Urvin Lewis.

HEAVY BURDEN -- Gary Gonsalves, pictured in action against Bermuda's Voorhees Astwood during the first leg, will be relied upon as the key provider on Saturday night.