Kwame Steede's mature midfield display for Devonshire Cougars against Trinidad helped inspire Bermuda Under-23s ahead of their impressive 1-1 draw with the Soca Warriors, Derek Broadley has revealed.

Bermuda Football Association's (BFA) technical director said the commanding performance of the Cougars' player/coach emphasised the importance of keeping hold of the ball in midfield and was a valuable lesson for the Under-23 players watching from the stands.

The former Bermuda Hogges' skipper came on as a second-half substitute for Cougars who almost pulled off a shock result against the Caribbean powerhouse, eventually losing 3-2 at the National Sports Centre last week.

He was also a member of the Bermuda senior national team that stunned Trinidad with a 2-1 away win in the 2008 World Cup qualifiers.

"To be fair I thought Kwame did really well when he came on," Broadley said. "In fact, I think he helped our boys because he showed that by holding onto the ball you actually do better things.

"It was good for our lads to go and see that game and see Kwame perform at that level. It was nice to see a Bermudian team physically compete. It was a boost for Cougars going into the Concacaf Champions League."

Broadley said he was pleased to see the Premier Division's defending champions use the festive friendly to give some of their younger players experience against an international team.

"I think that Cougars definitely put on a good show. They train all the time and are active in the Premier Division so they looked solid," he said. "They took a chance to blood some of the young kids and did not start with (Domico) Coddington or Kwame (Steede)."

It was a surprise for many to see former BFA youth director Devarr Boyles sitting on the Cougars bench during last week's game. Boyles led Cougars to the Premier Division title last season before quitting to take up a full-time post at the BFA.

Broadley said Boyles would not be returning to Devonshire Rec. but said the BFA would do all they could to assist Cougars in their build-up to the Concacaf Champions League later this year.

"I think Devarr would like it said that the BFA are helping Cougars, after all he works for the BFA," he said.

"He was very much responsible for getting them to win the league last year. I think he has a little affection for them but he has enough on his plate working for us, trust me.

"He put some aside and went and helped them out (before the Trinidad game) but he is not looking be their coach.

"The BFA will offer our services to all of the clubs to go in and do some coaching work. The benefits are twofold as it will give us the chance to see the inner workings of the clubs and see if there are any (Under-23) players we have missed."

The Concacaf Champions League is the annual international club championship for teams from the region (North America, Central America, and the Caribbean).