Grenada Today - Mar 06, 2004

Grenada is well poised to qualify for the next qualifying rounds for the 2006 FIFA World Cup to be played in Germany.

The Spice Boyz defeated Guyana 5-0 on Saturday night at the Queen's Park sporting stadium in the first of their two match encounter.

The returning game will be played on March 14 in Guyana and the local boys will have to be defeated by six goals in order to be denied entry into the next round of the competition.

Striker Nigel Bishop and mid-fielder Kennedy Phillip gave the home team a two-goal lead in the first half with shots that found the back of the net and pass goal keeper Marlon Hendricks who received a red card from referee Benito Archwdia of Mexico.

Anthony "Locks" Augustine, Anthony "Nixon" Modeste and Denis Rennie wre the other goal scorers for Grenada in the second half of play. Over 4000 football fans turned up at the stadium to cheer on Team Grenada which was boosted by a number of overseas-based players from Jamaica, Britain, the United States and Hungary.

The list included mid-fielder Shalrie Joseph of New England Revolution in the UK and Ricky Charles who plays his football in the United States.

Speculation is rife that national coach, Ali Debellotte and his technical staff might call up a further five foreign-based players for the second leg in Guyana. Prior to the game, Guyana's national coach, Brazilian Neider Dos Santos, said that considered Grenada as the favorites to win at home but did not expect the result to be quite so lopsided.
Grenada is battling to advance into the final rounds in the North, Central American and Caribbean Zone of the competition. The three top teams will qualify for World Cup 2006 in Germany.

The fourth top team in the region will enter a play off with another team in a different region to play for a spot to get into the worlds Cup. Grenada is ranked 155th in the FIFA Coca-Cola world rankings and is playing in the the North, Central American and Caribbean zone which consist of 12 groups.

The Spice Boyz are in Group 1 with Guyana and the United States. Should Grenada get pass Guyana, the team will next play the United States who is ranked N o.11 in the world sometime around the middle of June.