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Bermuda’s confidence will be sky high, says Shabazz

Guyana coach Jamal Shabazz has urged his charges not to take anything for granted when they come up against Bermuda in today’s World Cup qualifier at Guyana National Stadium.Like many, Shabazz believes Bermuda’s confidence will have soared after going down to a narrow 1-0 defeat to regional powerhouses Trinidad in their opening World Cup qualifier in Port-of-Spain last Friday.And it is for this very reason the Trinidadian isn’t taking Devarr Boyles’ men lightly.“I think that was a good result for Bermuda who always seem to get a decent result against Trinidad and Tobago and so it’s not a thing we are going to take lightly,” Shabazz told The Royal Gazette. “We are going to feel them out a bit and won’t be throwing caution to the wind.”Guyana got their World Cup qualifying campaign off to a winning start after handing Barbados a 2-0 loss at Guyana National Stadium last Friday.Shawn Beveny, one of three Guyanese players playing in the minor leagues in England, opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a clinical finish. Veteran defender Charles Pollard then nodded home Guyana’s second in the 75th minute to put the match beyond Barbados’ reach.While pleased with the outcome of the match, Shabazz reckons there’s still room for growth.“It was a hard fought win against Barbados but I think we still have a lot of work to do on fitness and a whole lot of different areas of the game,” he said.“But the team is in good spirits and we are going in with confidence up against Bermuda, who we know very little of except for what we’ve read.”Shabazz reckons home team advantage will work in Guyana’s favour. “Playing at home always gives you that extra boost of confidence and we look forward to the match,” he said.As well as Beveny, Guyana’s roster also boasts Carolina Railhawks midfielder Chris Nurse and Puerto Rico Islanders striker Gregory Richards who both ply their trade in the North American Soccer League.Guyana also have five players currently playing professionally in Trinidad, including Pollard who has been capped 33 times for his country.