Bermuda Under-20s are beginning to show signs of becoming a tough team to beat after finishing the first round of their World Cup qualifiers undefeated.

That is the verdict of the Gombey Warriors' coaches whose side drew with host nation Guadeloupe and beat Antigua to come second in their qualifying group last week.

Although Guadeloupe finished top on goal difference and go straight into the Concacaf Championships in April, Bermuda will have another bite of the cherry when they compete in a runners-up group in January.

The winners of that stage will claim the Caribbean's fifth and final entry in the 12-team Concacaf Championships to be held in Guatemala.

Head coach Gary Darrell believes it is important for the Under-20s to have a deep World Cup qualifying run so to provide tangible evidence that the national academy is functioning properly.

He said: "At this age level winning is the most important thing. You have to put the emphasis on winning. It's important we win for Bermuda and it's important we win for the national academy. We needed some success and it was great to go undefeated."

Darrell and his assistant Devarr Boyles did not have long to prepare the team for the qualifiers with more than half of the squad based overseas. Before heading to Guadeloupe the team spent a few days at a training camp in Florida where Darrell was thrilled with the players response in such as short space of time.

"We only had 11 home-based players and nine others from the UK and the US who joined us for a mini-camp in Florida, so we didn't have long to prepare," said Darrell.

"We didn't have long but it was a concentrated time and they responded very well. There's a special feel about this group. Most of them have played together before and that made it easy for us to get them to gel.

"There's a little bit of disappointment – at one point we believed we had qualified for the Concacaf Championships so the players were disappointed when it emerged we hadn't. We didn't get the automatic qualifying berth because we didn't score enough goals but in the main part we're excited about going through to another stage."

Assistant coach Boyles, admitted assembling the squad had been a challenge because of the high proportion of overseas-based players but said he was 'over the moon' with their encouraging start to their qualifiers.

"We're starting to compete to win and that's something the players are starting to wrap their heads around," Boyles said. "We're starting to move into a position where the other big countries are – with a lot of players off Island and that comes with unique challenges.

"This was probably the first time we've pulled together a squad where 60 percent of the team are overseas. To now have a template is fantastic and we've over the moon with way things went."

The door is still ajar for any talented young players looking to force their way into the Under-20 squad before the next round of the qualifying games, Darrell said.

"There's still an opportunity for those players not included but they need to be better than what we have."

BFA player development committee chairman, Mark Wade, said a programme of games was being drawn up to prepare the Under-20s for the next phase of the competition.

"We're working to put something together for them," said Wade. "We're looking at something over the Christmas period and maybe in November. We're diligently working with the technical office to get something organised."