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Blazers defender earns call-up

Boulevard defender Robert Wilson flew into Trinidad last night to join up with the national soccer squad ahead of tonight?s second game of their emergency tour of Trinidad.

A young Bermuda team were beaten 4-0 on Wednesday by a fitter and stronger Caribbean side full of UK pros in the midst of a World Cup qualifying campaign.

They will take on the same team tonight in a lower-key affair with both teams still having plenty to play for.

Trinidad players, under new coach Leo Beenhakker, will still be playing for places ahead of their vital clash with Panama on June 4 ? described by Coventry City striker Stern John as ?judgement day? ? and the game against Mexico the following week.

Bermuda, meanwhile, will be looking to avoid humiliation against more senior and better prepared opponents as they warm up for the visit of the Manchester City Academy side early next month.

?The big difference was fitness between the teams,? said national assistant coach Paul Scope, travelling down yesterday with Wilson for the final tour game.

?We were one down at the half but a lot of the guys were dead on their feet. They were playing against a team halfway through a World Cup qualifying game who are still in good shape after a season of playing professionally.

?Three goals came quickly in the second half as our guys tired but some fresh legs slowed things down.

?It was a big ask for the guys but they can hold their heads up high after that performance, it is by no means a disgrace to lose 4-0 to a side like that.?

The three second half goals all came from UK pros ? from Southampton, Wrexham and Coventry ? while the Trinidad defence included a Rangers and a Dundee player.

For Bermuda, the tour, undertaken after El Salvador pulled out at the 11th hour after a hurricane devastated their country, is a great way of preparing for the Man City game and also blending a young team for the Pan-Am championships and next year?s Digicel Cup qualifiers.

?We have a very young team and for someone like Kris Frick, who is only 16, playing against Trinidad is a fantastic experience,? continued Scope, who had to inject a blood thinner to make the trip due to a knee operation last week.

?We are looking to build a side for the future and the next thing on the horizon is the Pan-Am Games qualifiers and so for the Under-23 guys the Trinidad games are great practice.

?We are looking to keep the international programme going, the BFA (Bermuda Football Association) have said they are hoping to get some of the regional teams ranked just above us in the FIFA standings coming in during the autumn and then we will have Digicel qualifiers next year.

?It is important for our players to get as much exposure as possible and this two-game trip at Trinidad?s expense is perfect for us.

?We just have to keep the guys from getting blown away in tonight?s game.?