Coach Michael Findlay insists he is not focused on scorelines as Bermuda prepare to face Trinidad & Tobago in their final World Cup qualifying match tonight.

Bermuda were thrashed 7-0 at home by Curaçao last Thursday, with criticism by supporters growing after the Gombey Warriors failed to score in any of their home group matches while conceding 21 goals overall.

Comment on social media has been mostly negative, but Findlay insists that focusing on the heavy defeats and scorelines will not help Bermuda in the long term.

“If we're just going to focus on the score, that is not what is going to be what gets us to the next level on a consistent basis,” Findlay said.

“I understand what people are saying and I know heavy defeats are depressing. There is no one more disappointed than myself and the rest of the staff.

“Immediately after the Curaçao game, the staff locked themselves in a room and they beat themselves up to try to work out what we need to do to be better and what we need to do differently to make sure that sort of thing doesn’t happen again.

“But I can’t help but continue to remind people of exactly where these players have brought us and where we are at this moment in time. This is a process for us and we've learnt an incredible lot being in the last 12 of Concacaf World Cup qualifying.”

Findlay welcomes constructive debate about his tactics and feels the passionate debates that have taken place about his playing style since the heavy defeat by Curaçao should be welcomed.

“The idea that this conversation you and I are having is happening across Bermuda is fine,” Findlay said.

“It’s to be encouraged because I don't think these conversations would be happening if we, and the BFA, had not made the advances we have in national team programming.

“We are holding ourselves and the players accountable, and the fans are right to hold us accountable. We’re doing the best we can in terms of wanting to deliver on that and the idea that these conversations are happening in Bermuda is something to celebrate.

“There’s going to be ups and downs, and there are going to be some real disappointments, but I’m always going to take the position that we need an optimistic mentality, not a pessimistic mentality.

“We’re not going to spend our time knocking ourselves and each other down. We’re going to spend our time building each other up. It might be a cliché, but that’s the way I live my life and that’s the way I want my teams to live.”

Despite neither side having a chance to progress, Bermuda can expect another tough game against Trinidad, who ran out 4-0 winners in the reverse fixture in October. Goalkeeper Dale Eve is still in with a chance of making the team after being forced off with injury in the match against Curaçao, while the game tonight is set to be the last in Reggie Lambe’s international career.

“Nobody is in a position right now that they are totally ruled out,” Findlay said.

“It may be closer to the time after our session today that we’ll make the final decisions because they always have to come through match day minus one to put them in a position for potential selection.”

If Eve does take to the pitch he is likely to again be one of Bermuda’s busiest players, but Findlay is treating the game just like any other.

“We prepare as we’ll prepare for any of the matches in this area,” he said.

“We’re focusing on our own performance and the standard that we’re looking for and the application we’re looking for. We’re looking at how Trinidad apply themselves against us in our in our first encounter in Bermuda and we’re trying to improve upon that given the information we now have about them.”