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 WALES may not have qualified for the 2006 World Cup finals, but Welsh football will have a flag-bearer in Germany in the from of Wrexham defender Dennis Lawrence.
And just like Wales, Lawrence and his Trinidad and Tobago team-mates will have to negotiate a tie against England if they are to progress in the competition.
Wales fought a doomed World Cup campaign - that saw Mark Hughes replaced at the helm by John Toshack - and lost 1-0 to England at the Millennium Stadium under Tosh after suffering a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford under Sparky as they slumped to fifth place in qualifying Group Six, topped by Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side.
Trinidad qualified for the finals after beating Bahrain away in Manama, after securing a 1-1 draw on home soil in the first leg of their qualifier with the Asian representatives.
And who did the Soca Warriors have to thank for their place in the finals? You guessed it - the man from the Racecourse, who struck in the 49th minute to send the tiny Caribbean nation into ecstasy at the prospect of battling with the big guns of world football in Germany from 9 June-9 July.
Lawrence headed the only goal of the play-off second leg to clinch a 2-1 aggregate success for Leo Beenhakker's side.
It was a match marred by controversy as Colombian referee Oscar Julian Ruiz Acosta ruled out a late "goal" from Ali Ahmed and then dismissed Hussain Ali Hasan following protests from the Bahrain players.
Group B fixtures |
10-Jun-06 Frankfurt England v Paraguay 3pm
10-Jun-06 Dortmund Trinidad v Sweden 6pm
15-Jun-06 Nuremberg England v Trinidad 6pm
15-Jun-06 Berlin Sweden v Paraguay 9pm
20-Jun-06 Cologne Sweden v England 9pm
20-Jun-06 Kaiserslautern Paraguay v Trinidad 9pm |
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Soldiers had to guard the officials at the end of the game amid fears for their safety as the home crowd threatened to turn ugly.
However, none of that concerned Lawrence, who told The Times, "I wasn't really bothered who scored. I just wanted to do it for the team and to get a big cheer. I'm just so happy."
Trinidad and Tobago captain, ex-Manchester striker Dwight Yorke, added, "Words can't describe what I'm feeling right now. To take this team to the finals - and as skipper - is something that I'm so proud of. To achieve this is enormous. We needed our Warrior spirit and that's exactly what we showed."
And Wales could yet have another representative in Germany if Lawrence's compatriot Kevin Austin is called into Beenhakker's squad for the finals.
That doesn't appear likely though as Swansea defender Austin has struggled to cement a place in Kenny Jackett's first team despite hardly putting a foot wrong in the Swans' successful promotion campaign from League Two. 
But the former Bristol Rovers man - who has only once played for his "homeland" in 2000 -could yet force his way into Beenhakker's thinking if the versatile defender has a big finish to the season in a successful Swans play-off push for the Championship.
The Soca Warriors will play England on 15 June in Nuremberg when all true Welshmen will be proud to wear the red of Trinidad and Tobago.
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