Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

Trinidad's Hislop ready to wait for World Cup chance

Friday, June 9, 2006

by: Alec Kennedy

BREMEN, Germany (AFP): Shaka Hislop may have to settle for a place on the substitutes bench when Trinidad and Tobago make their first-ever World Cup appearance against Sweden in Dortmund on Saturday.

But after being surprisingly thrust into the spotlight at West Ham United last season, the West Ham goalkeeper knows from experience that he could yet emerge from Germany as a key figure for the Soca Warriors.

Hislop, 37, is likely to deputise for Dundee's Kelvin Jack as the Caribbean minnows tackle the Swedes in their Group B opener, yet his arrival at West Ham on a free transfer from Portsmouth last summer offered the former Newcastle number one a similar job description, with Roy Carroll having been signed from Manchester United to fill the goalkeeper's jersey.

Nine months later, Hislop, who went to the elite Harvard University in the United States, had over 20 first-team outings and an appearance in the FA Cup Final defeat against Liverpool to recall from a hugely successful season, so the London-born keeper is refusing to be downbeat about his hopes in Germany after admitting fears that World Cup glory had passed him by.

Hislop said: "I had given up on this kind of thing happening to me. If you had told me eight or nine months ago that I would be going to the World Cup, I would have said that you were absolutely barmy!

"At 37, I couldn't help but feel that it was too late in my career to experience something as magnificent as the World Cup, but the team has exceeded a lot of expectations over the past year and we deserve to be in Germany.

"I've seen this country come close on a number of occasions, especially in 1974 and 1990 when we were one game from qualification, and I felt we would probably come short once again, so qualifying for the World Cup has proven to be a fantastically rewarding experience for all of us.

"Obviously, I want to play in Germany, but I know that I will have to fight for my chance. It's an identical situation to the one I found myself in at West Ham last summer.

"I went there as a number two to Roy Carroll and it seemed as though I was only playing in the early rounds of the League Cup, but things have changed a lot for me in recent months. Roy's injury in January gave me a chance in the team which culminated in an appearance in the FA Cup Final.

"My good fortune at West Ham also gave me the chance to be a part of things with Trinidad and Tobago, so whatever happens here will be special for me."

Having spent his entire career in England, and also earning one cap for England U-21's before pledging his allegiance to T and T, Hislop admits that the clash with Sven-Goran Eriksson's team on June 15 will be a special occasion, but he insists that the Sweden game is the priority.

He said: "The whole tournament is something we are keenly looking forward to and the England game has attracted a lot of attention for obvious reasons.

"But the Sweden game gives everybody the opportunity to earn the right to play against England. It's a package deal and we go into this tournament having to produce three games of our lives to do well.

"We are up for it and we feel quietly confident that we can surprise a few people along the way."

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