Bermuda Under-20 national team defender Jaylon Bather questioned whether he would be good enough for the Bermuda Hogges.

At just 17 years of age, Bather was one of the youngest players to be named in the Hogges' Premier Development League (PDL) squad last summer and feared he may be lacking in physical strength and mental experience.

But after a slow start to life in the top US amateur league, Bather slowly emerged as a regular starter and finished the season as arguably the most improved Hogges player.

And as far as Under-20 coach Gary Darrell is concerned, the rangy left-back will be one of the first names on the team sheet when Bermuda kick-off their World Cup qualifying campaign in Guadeloupe.

"Look at Jaylon and the way he grew over the summer," said Darrell earlier this week, "he's certainly an automatic for the Eagles right now and will certainly be one of the first names on our team sheet."

When informed of Darrell's complimentary words at the end of Wednesday night's Under-20 training session at BFA Field, Bather first expressed his surprise before admitting it felt good to know his mature displays for the Hogges had not gone unnoticed.

"Really? It's feels good to know that. I didn't believe I was ready for the Hogges," said the Somerset Eagles player. "I started pretty weak but gradually I got stronger against the bigger guys and began to play better."

Bather, who attends Bermuda College, made 12 appearances for the Hogges last season and feels the experience of playing in an overseas league was the most important learning curve of his career.

"I've played for the Bermuda Under-17s in World Cup qualifiers and that was a good experience, but not as good as the Hogges," he said.

"I really learned a lot this summer. We played well at the start but slacked off when a few of players had to go back to school. We just didn't have the same team at the end of the season as we'd had at the start."

Darrell's men have been pitted against host nation Guadeloupe and Antigua and Barbuda in Group C with the top two teams qualifying for the next stages of the competition.

And with eight other Hogges players included in Bermuda's 20-man squad, Bather is confident they have enough experience and quality in their ranks to get the job done

"We have a good team. we have a lot of guys coming from overseas like Reggie Lambe and Roger Lee. It's good to have Reggie, he's someone we can rely on," Bather said.

"I think we have a good enough team to get the results we need to progress to the next round."

Bather's domestic side, Eagles, have been successful in their request to have their league matches against Devonshire Colts on Sunday and PHC on October 24, as well as their Dudley Eve game against North Village on October 21 postponed. Bermuda Football Association allow any team with four or more players representing the Island during internationals to have their matches rearranged.

The Under-20s head to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, tomorrow where they will make their final preparations before heading to the Caribbean. They play Guadeloupe on October 20 and Antigua and Barbuda on October 22. Both matches will be played at the Rene Serge Abyss stadium.

In total, four groups will compete in the competition with the winner of each qualifying for the Concacaf Under-20 Championship in Guatemala in April. The runners-up will advance to the second group phase that will determine the Caribbean's fifth and final entry in the 12-team Confederations Cup.

Bermuda Under-20 squad: Corey Richardson – St.David's Warriors; Stephan Dill – Somerset Eagles; Reiko Trott – Boulevard Blazers; Rakeem DeShields – Somerset Eagles; Roger Lee – Somerset Eagles; Jaylon Bather – Somerset Eagles; Lequan Simmons – Devonshire Cougars; Aaron Nelson – Boulevard Blazers; Errin Simons – Dandy Town; Troy Tucker – Somerset Eagles; Reggie Lambe – Ipswich Town; Quadir Maynard – Boulevard; Jair Minors – BAA Wanderers; Dante Leverock –Dandy Town;

Dunte Albouy – St.David's Warriors; Shannon Burchall –Dandy Town; Casey Castle – PHC; Naeem Griffith – PHC; Jamel Swan – Dandy Town; Daniel Andrade – Somerset Eagles.