Bermuda’s footballers plan to bring a positive vibe to the island as they play Trinidad & Tobago in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at Flora Duffy Stadium tonight (7pm)

Left-sided players Deniche Hill and Djair Parfitt are hoping to get Bermuda fans off their seats with their touchline combination and they are urging the crowd to bring the same energy that was on display for the Jamaica game last month.

“If you claim to be Bermudian and you say you’re Bermudian, you need to be backing the boys no matter what,” Hill said.

“At the moment, we have negativity surrounding the island and it’s imperative that we push the positive things that the boys are doing. What we have achieved so far, getting to this round, is something we should appreciate. If everybody comes out like they did last time, it would be brilliant. We are making history as a small nation and it would be great if the support for the boys goes on.”

Both players played in front of a capacity home crowd for the first time in the 4-0 defeat by Jamaica, with Parfitt hoping the atmosphere can be matched tonight.

“We need the support from our country,” he said.

“Yes, we are small, but we are close-knit. There is unfortunately some negativity going on outside, but in our own way we are trying to bring positivity to the country.

“We love the fans being there, as it brings more emotion and adrenalin — we love hearing the horns. Please come along and we’ll promise to try to get the win for you.”

Hill and Parfitt have been key players in recent matches and will need to produce their best if Bermuda are to pick up their first points in the final round of World Cup qualifying after the loss at home to Jamaica and a 3-2 reversal in Curaçao.

But left back Hill, 21, is confident that the side are building towards a big performance.

“All the teams in this group have quality and it would be naive not to respect the opposition going into this game,” Hill said.

“We know what we are coming up against and we will try our best and apply ourselves. We don’t care about the household names; everybody we come up against is human and we have an opportunity to beat them.

“A lot of the boys have been calling it a cup final all week. We want to get points on the board and kick-start our campaign. But it comes down to hard work, just like everything in life.

“You can’t predict what is going to happen in a match the day or week before. It all comes down to who wants it more and who is working harder. It will come down to who does the ugly side of the game more because both teams have quality. We’ve proved in patches of games that we do have quality and we can come out on top.”

Parfitt, who scored the second goal against Curaçao — as Bermuda wiped out a two-goal deficit going into half-time before the home side prevailed after the interval —knows how crucial it is that the Gombey Warriors take whatever chances come their way against Trinidad.

“We have to take it step by step,” he said. “Each training session and each game is important, but we need to win this one.

“It’s a must-win if we want to turn our dreams into reality, but talent wins football matches. Hard work and tactics is the base level of what you have to do at professional level, but at the end of the day when you get around the box, you have to score. Whoever can grasp the moment and show their talent will win.”

The combination of Parfitt, 29, and Hill has been one of Bermuda’s success stories since the latter joined the squad.

“We complement each other really well because I want to go on the outside and Djair wants to go on the inside, so it's a good combination,” Hill said.

“I want to attack as much as possible and get as many crosses in as I can to try to give the team as many opportunities to score as possible.

“Myself and Djair always got on well from the time I came into the squad. We’ve been playing on the left now for a quite a while and he’s always trying to help me, giving me advice. We enjoy bouncing things off each other at the moment. We’re working on defensive and attacking stuff, and hopefully we can continue to gel well and get a few more goal contributions in the future.”

As the older player, Parfitt is happy to pass on his experience, but feels Hill needs little help as he continues to progress his career.

“Deniche is foremost his own talented player, but if I see anything I will help him out a bit,” Parfitt said.

“When you’re coming through you need to learn things on your own, which he does. It’s super crucial that we have that connection together and it’s good to have my boy next to me on the pitch.”