UNLESS something dramatic happens in the next few months, it would appear that the final chapter has been written in Khano Smith's chequered professional football career.

It started so brightly with a contract at New England Revolution, a powerhouse club in the Major Soccer League and might have ended earlier this month at the not so glamourous Lincoln City, an east coast outpost in the fourth tier division of the English League, a club battling for survival.

It would be no surprise if Khano's next move will be back to Dandy Town, the team he left to seek his fame and fortune overseas.

There was a report he made an appearance for Brentford reserves earlier this week, although that couldn't be confirmed and nothing has been posted on that club's website.

Khano may want to persevere in his attempts to make an impression in the UK, but the signs are not good.

His rise and fall has been well documented and will have sent out a sombre message to those who harbour similar ambitions as the former Hornets' striker.

Stepping into the pro ranks is one thing, staying there is a different story.

National team player Reggie Lambe is acutely aware of that as he continues to make his mark at Championship League Ipswich Town under manager Roy Keane, perhaps one of the most demanding bosses in the division.

Khano, although some might think he wasn't the most talented player in Bermuda, got the break that most of the other top local players yearn for.

His speed was his greatest asset and that's what got the attention of Revs 'manager Steve Nicol who brought his team to Bermuda for winter training some six years ago.

He quickly signed Smith who worked his way into the first team and in four seasons made 85 appearance, scoring just eight goals on the way.

A lot of that time was spent on the bench, especially in his last season in New England.

Sometimes his first touch wasn't quite good enough and he didn't utilise his natural pace as much as he should have.

At the end of that last season he was traded to the Seattle Sounders but never got a chance to impress there as within weeks he was again transferred, this time to New York Red Bulls, and became that club's highest paid player, receiving a salary of $120,000.

That's when he fell out with this newspaper for whom he was writing a weekly column.

He was angry that we published his wages, although the same information was available to the public via football websites in the US and was reported in the New York Times. It was already public knowledge.

That, however, was the least of his problems. He played for the Bulls just eight times, failing to score a single goal and was released.

He made a move to England where he had trials with Southend United, the club for which Shaun Goater ended his glittering career.

Southend weren't particulary interested. He failed to make it into the first team and played just one reserve game.

Khano then travelled to Lincoln where he did break into the first team and played five games, but again his shooting boots were nowhere to be seen, he never managed to get on the scoresheet and was released earlier this month.

Now in his late 20s he will find it difficult to secure a contract anywhere in England.

Nobody can question his perseverance but some might question whether he made the most of the many chances offered.

Goater, likewise, wasn't the most skilful player in the England League but he had other attributes which led him to becoming almost a cult figure at Manchester City. Fans there still worship their former leading goalscorer, reminiscing over the Bermudian's work rate and uncanny ability to read the game and put himself in the right place at the right time.

They constantly remind their arch rivals United of the season when Goater netted three goals in two matches to take four points off the then Premier League leaders.

Khano hasn't been able to replicate his fellow countryman's success, and it's doubtful that any other Bermudian will be able to do so in the foreseeable future.

If he does get another chance, it might be his last.

We wish him the best but as of now it's not looking good.

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BERMUDA Golf Association's decision to switch the Bermuda Open from October/November to January might have been a sensible one, given that the Tour season in the US had barely begun and there might have been many pros who would have considered the trip had the purse been slightly higher.

Hopefully more cash will be available next year but the BGA will be hoping the weather will be a darn sight better than it was last weekend.

There can't have been four consecutive days in the last year that have made the game so difficult.

That only three players fired rounds of under 70 throughout the entire event says it all.

Torrential rain and gale force winds, which caused play to be abandoned on the Saturday, disrupted the tournament to the extent that almost the entire field couldn't wait for the tournament to finish.

Had the event been held a week earlier when Mother Nature shone brightly on International Race Weekend, the Open could have enhanced its reputation to the extent than a much larger field can be expected a year from now.

Perhaps the new-look Port Royal was enough to encourage those players from overseas to give it another try.

By that time they might have dried out!

– ADRIAN ROBSON