Lorenzo Symonds, one of Bermuda's longest serving captains, is confident Bermuda will advance to the next round of the World Cup -- as long as they go to Haiti this week with the right attitude.

Symonds, who was captain of the national team from 1981 to '90, was at the National Stadium to see Bermuda beat Haiti 1-0 in the first leg last month.

But he speaks from experience when he warns against being complacent for the second match.In 1987 Symonds was captain of the Bermuda team that took a 2-1 lead to Mexico for the second leg of the Olympic qualifier and were thrashed 6-0.

"Gary's (Darrell) job is to motivate the guys and not let them become complacent because they are going to have to deal with a soccer-mad country,'' Symonds said.

"The fans are going to be behind their team to lift them to play better. We cannot sit on our laurels.'' Symonds remembered how Mexico took the Bermudians to a high altitude to play their second leg, in conditions they knew would be foreign to the visitors. He feels the Haitians will do little things too, to gain every advantage they can.

"Things can happen at the international level and there is always something they'll try to do to take you off your game,'' the former captain says. "In Mexico they took us up into the mountains and it was hard to breathe.'' In the two years Symonds has been out of the national team -- the May 1990 3-0 win over Barbados was his last match -- Bermuda has employed three captains in search of a new leader. Dennis Brown, now back in Darrell's plans, was replaced as captain by Albert Smith for the match with Norway in February.

English professional Meshach Wade took over from Smith who was dropped for the Haiti match.

At the start of last season Symonds was extended an offer to lend his experience to the national team following an injury to Brown.

But with so much responsibility as player-coach at Devonshire Colts, Symonds declined the offer. "It was a difficult time, considering I had just taken on the coaching job and we had just gotten back into the First Division,'' said the 34-year-old.

"I didn't think I would be able to get in condition to play at the national level. As you get older you need to be fitter because you slow down.'' Symonds is sure Darrell has the right crop of players, with the four professionals Shawn Goater, David Bascome, Kentoine Jennings and Meshach Wade giving the team depth.

"There's an excellent crop of young players there,'' he said, predicting a bright future for talented sweeper Shawn Smith.

LORENZO SYMONDS -- The former national team skipper (pictured at rear) beleives Bermuda can get past Haiti. But they must not be complacent he warns from past experience.