It’s not over, says Coach Hendrickson

DESPITE REGISTERING the historic 2-1 win over El Salvador last Sunday night, October 13, 2024, at the Arnos Vale Playing Field, in Group A of League B, in the Concacaf Nations League, Head Coach of St Vincent and the Grenadines Senior Men’s Football Team, Ezra Hendrickson cautions that,“ It is not over”.

Happy for Sunday’s result, after the 3-2 defeat by the same opponents on Thursday, October 10, at the sane venue, Hendrickson, in a hoarse voice, told SEARCHLIGHT after his team’s triumph, “We are still progressing, we are trying to get better every day, every game …It is a long road, we have a lot to work on still…The progress is there and that what really matters”.

Sunday’s win was this country’s first against the Central Americans. Dating back to 2000, St Vincent and the lost to El Salvador, 7-1; 2-1; 3-1; and 3-2.

Hendrickson wants Sunday’s win to be a fillip for the work as St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) inches back into Football significance in the region.

“What we have to do as a nation is get back to where we were in the mid-1990s … we were a formidable team that teams in the region feared, right now, that is not the case. We are out to change that”, said Hendrickson, a former St Vincent and the Grenadines captain.

Hendrickson who took up the Head Coach position two months ago, believes that the process is taking shape.

“It is a process; it is not going to happen overnight, but it is coming….These guys believe in what we are teaching them, they believe in what we are doing …they believe in the philosophy, the style of play, and when you have that and that cohesiveness in the locker room, big things are going to happen for this team,” Hendrickson commented.

In his team’s win on Sunday, October 13, 2024, Shakeem Adams put St Vincent and the Grenadines ahead in the 39th minute. However, in the 71st minute Rudy Clavel, drew level for El Salvador. The unbridled joy came in the 88th minute, when Diel Spring poked the ball in the net of the Salvadorians that led to celebrations for the six thousand strong crowd as hailed the home team’s first win against the 80th ranked El Salvador.

St Vincent and the Grenadines was rebounding from a heart break defeat, three days prior on October 13, also at the same venue. El Salvador scored in the 20th minute through Styven Vasquez, but Brandon John got the equalizer in the 43rd minute. Shakeem Adams then put St Vincent and the Grenadines in front in the 63rd minute, but the lead evaporated when Santos Ortiz equalized in the 70th minute, and Francis Castillo landed the lethal blow for El Salvador with a goal in the 87th minute.

The November window which will be played in El Salvador, will see St Vincent and the Grenadines playing Bonaire and Montserrat. Host, El Salvador has the same opponents.

El Salvador leads the group on 9 points, with St Vincent and the Grenadines on 7. Bonaire, 4 , and Montserrat, 3.