with Canada, compared with 2,500 for the El Salvador match and 3,500 for the Jamaica match two days before the event.

The significant reduction in tickets sales has no doubt been influenced by the Bermuda team's failure to qualify for the next round. There is still importance left in the match as Bermuda have yet to lose at home in a World Cup qualifier and a win combined with a Jamaica loss in El Salvador, could gain some consolation by at least finishing off the bottom of the four-team group.

Coach Gary Darrell planned to finalise his team last night, though there is certain to be at least one change with Dennis Brown out through the groin injury he sustained in Canada in the last match while Leroy Stevens has still not recovered from the knee injury he got in Jamaica, which forced him to return home early.

The injuries to Brown, Stevens and Neil Robinson have left Darrell with 17 players to work with for this match and he disclosed that Shawn Smith would return to play sweeper for the first time since the match against Antigua in the last round in July.

Smith's central defensive partner will be Kentoine Jennings, with Darrell to choose between Voorhees Astwood and Neil Paynter for the left-back spot.

Captain Meshach Wade will remain at right-back while goalkeeper Dwayne Adams has returned from school.

If Astwood keeps his place in the defence then Paynter would play in a midfield that will include David Bascome on the right side and either Albie Smith, Paul Cann or Elliott Jennings.

Shawn Goater, who has scored in each of the last three matches to take his international tally to 16 in 17 games, will have either Kyle Lightbourne and Sammy Swan or Swan and Cann as front partners.

Not surprisingly the build-up to this final match has failed to match that of the previous two home matches with training sessions being more relaxed.

"The players have been real loose because of the lack of pressure,'' Darrell explained.

"There's been a more relaxed attitude and we need to get a good result to generate some interest again. As far as I'm concerned we're good enough to go onto the next round, which didn't happen for a number of reasons. I think the players are looking forward to performing in front of a home crowd.'' The team's four professionals head off to their overseas clubs on Monday with Goater returning to English Second Division side Rotherham United who have lost just once in his absence, while Kentoine Jennings and Meshach Wade return to Hereford United of the Third Division.

Kyle Lightbourne, whose header on October 18 enabled Bermuda to hand El Salvador their only defeat in this second round, flies out to sign for Scarborough who will soon meet Arsenal in the next round of the League Cup, while midfielder David Bascome rejoins United States professional indoor team Harrisburg Heat.

Sunday's match begins at 4 p.m. -- FIFA requires that it begins the same time as the match in El Salvador -- and the three officials are Ed Cummings (referee) and linesmen Arthur Reed and George Savic. The reserve official is Majid Jay. All officials are from the United States.

The match commissary is Javier Arriaga of Mexico.

Four Commercial Division League Cup matches are scheduled for today with BAA taking on Forties and Spinning Wheel meeting Island Rangers in Division A at PHC Stadium and Prison officers playing Coca-Cola and Somerset Extros going up against Exiles at Somerset Cricket Club. The matches start at 1.00 and 3.00.