Their confidence at an all-time high following Wednesday night?s comprehensive win over Nicaragua, Bermuda will now look to keep the momentum swinging in their favour when they take to the National Sports Centre for tonight?s second international friendly against the Central Americans.

A Shaun Goater-led Bermuda proved too steep a mountain to climb for the visiting Nicaraguans in the first match in which the Reading striker ? now back in the UK ? demonstrated the potent form which has seen him attain near cult status at every club he has played for since turning pro.

Moments before the national team took to practise yesterday, coach Kenny Thompson commended his charges for what he termed a ?fantastic? performance.

Thompson said overall he was pleased by the way the team continued to gel, but was quick to point out there was still a lot of room to ?grow?.

He said fans could expect to see several changes made to tonight?s starting eleven, ruling out Kentoine Jennings while confirming goalkeeper Zane Hendrickson?s elevation to the senior team as back-up to Dwayne (Streaker) Adams who will replace the injured Troy Hall who limped off injured on Wednesday.

Defender Musceo Hunt is also out after sustaining a foot injury in the first match which could possibly require surgery.

Rejoining the squad is striker John Barry Nusum, who flew in early yesterday morning, while those who could possibly start in tonight?s friendly ? the last of a brief two-match stopover by Nicaragua ? are Ralph Bean Jr, Kofi Dill, Domico Coddington, Carlos Smith and super sub Rohaan Simons.

?We may make a host of changes. These matches have provided the technical staff with an opportunity to see as many players as possible.

?So again we will go out and try to win the match while also trying to find the right balance of giving as many players as possible an opportunity to demonstrate their quality in the international arena,? said Thompson, who expects the opposition to be even more determined after Wednesday?s loss.

?I think that the players have learned from the Montserrat matches,? he continued. ?We had a 13-0 result in the first match but saw a more motivated team in Montserrat in the second match. We had a more difficult time in the second leg and so we can expect a difficult match tomorrow.

?If I were playing and I lost against an opponent 3-0 I?d be out to prove something in the second match and that?s what we expect from Nicaragua.

?This is a normal international football match. It?s intense, it?s physical, technical and so this is what we expect in the international arena. This is what we have been preparing our players for and what we are prepared for. This is now the gauge of our development and our maturity to perform at an excellent level on a consistent basis. It is not good enough to perform well every now and then. We must stay in the present. Wednesday?s result is over and now we must get ourselves up to perform at that level or even better.?

Though Goater?s absence has left Thompson with a huge void to fill, the coach believes he has several players who can come in and get the job done.

?The key is that we have a number of attackers from which we can choose, all of whom in their own right can make contributions,? he said. ?And I am very pleased to be in a position to choose from attackers such as John Barry Nusum, Ralph Bean Jr, Rohaan Simons, Stephen Astwood and Carlos Smith.?

Summing up the first match, Thompson said his players all acquitted themselves ?extremely well?.

?It demonstrates that we do have the potential to compete well at this level but we still have some building and some growing to do. It is important that we keep the programme moving forward and that we keep it continuous and consistent to give the players an opportunity to perform at this level on a regular basis.

?It certainly bodes well for the future and I think all of Bermuda should be proud of the consistency the players are currently achieving.?

However, the coach was quick to warn against complacency.

?It is very important we don?t go overboard. We have to take some confidence from our most recent performances but there is still some developing to do,? he said.

As for the opposition, Thompson described the Nicaraguans as very ?technical? and ?comfortable? on the ball.

?They are very comfortable with the ball demonstrating the Central American style of play in the passing and level of creativity,? he assessed. ?But I think we handled them very well, especially defensively in that we were able to limit their scoring opportunities. Overall it was a fantastic performance and one which the players can be proud of in coping so well against an opponent who might be similar to the type of opponent that we will face in El Salvador.?

Asked about the claims by Nicaraguans of biased officiating, Thompson said: ?We were upset with our own officials a few weeks ago,? alluding to the recent sending off of Meshach Wade and Kentoine Jennings against Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

The coach also praised the public for their overwhelming support on Wednesday.

?It was satisfying to see such a vocal, passionate and very supportive crowd. And it certainly gave the team a lift and we hope that remains consistent. We ask for consistency from the players and also some consistency in support from the fans as well.?