GOODISON... so far everything is going fine (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Pepe back to face Brazil

LIVINGSTON SCOTT
Wednesday, October 01, 2003

AFTER a lenghty six-month absence, due to an injured knee, Jamaica's veteran central defender, Ian "Pepe" Goodison, was yesterday named in a 20-man squad by technical director, Carl Brown, to prepare for their upcoming friendly against world champions, Brazil, at Leicester City's Walker's Stadium in England on October 12.

Goodison last played for the Reggae Boyz back in March in the Gold Cup qualifiers.

Preston North End's defender, Claude Davis, and Watford's midfielder, Micah Hyde, along with veteran striker, Deon Burton, have also been recalled.

Goodison, the former Olympic Gardens, Hull City, Seba and now Tivoli Gardens defender just started training on Saturday. However, Brown is confident the hard-tackling defender will be ready to face the might of the Brazilians.

"We're happy with the sort of work the physio and medic teams have done on him. We have gotten him in very good condition. He has been working since last Saturday with the ball and looking real good, so we're very pleased...," Brown said.

Goodison may not be at his best for the tough encounter, but Brown believes his experience will enable him to cope without too much difficulty.

"He'll be ready; he's a very experienced player and he's no stranger to this sort of game. The bigger it gets is the better he gets, so I'm pretty confident," Brown added.

Goodison admits he's feeling no ill-effects from his operation. However, he said it was a little too early to tell how ready he will be for the October 12 assignment.

"To come back against Brazil is going to be very tough ... but we don't know what can happen in the next few weeks," he said in regard to his injury.

"So far everything is going good and the training is alright. But I am taking my time, not rushing it," he said.

"There's no pain ... I've been working the ball with the foot I did operation on, and there is nothing to complain about," he said.

The last time Jamaica met Brazil, in the Gold Cup of 1998 with the likes of Romario, Elber, Edmundo and Denilson, Goodison was at the heart of the defence that held the Brazilians to a 0-0 draw in the preliminary round, and lost 1-0 in the third-place playoff.

If the Boyz hope to restrict the potency of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and company, the experience of Goodison could be crucial again.

But apart from giving the defence stability, Brown will be relying on the player's ability to initiate attacks as well.

For the veteran Jamaican star, however, he just feels good to be back in the national programme and being around his old team-mates.

"It feels good to be back among my team-mates, although its the under-23s, but some of them are senior players, so it's good to be back and picking up from where I left off," he told the Observer.

And though the player expressed some doubts about his physical condition, Brown remains optimistic the stalwart defender will be a valuable asset against Brazil.

"He's a veteran is this game and he knows exactly what he has to do when he takes the field," Brown stated.

Squad -- Donovan Ricketts, Aaron Lawrence, Ian Goodison, Frank Sinclair, Damion Stewart, Shane Crawford, Claude Davis, Gerald Neil, Craig Ziadie, Micah Hyde, Richard Langley, Andrew Williams, Theodore Whitmore, Jamie Lawrence, Ricardo Fuller, Deon Burton, Kevin Lisbie, Fabian Taylor, Ricardo Gardner and Damani Ralph.