Dandy Town coach Kyle Lightbourne has predicted success for Bermuda in the Concacaf Under-17 men’s qualifiers, which starts on island on Friday.

Speaking after the Premier Division title contenders were defeated 1-0 by the under-17s courtesy of a first-half goal from Sami Carolo in a practice match at North Field on Tuesday night, Lightbourne was pleased with the hard work put in by the island’s budding stars.

“They have a good chance of doing something,” the former Bermuda coach said.

“They’ve put in a lot of work and I hope they do well because we want them to do well. I don't think this game was the right practice game for them, the tempo is going to be a lot higher.

“Tactically, Bermuda has got some good players, but they’re going to get tested in a different way when they play against Canada and other teams.”

Town assistant coach Jarreau Hayward commended under-17 coach Aaron Lugo for his work in advance of Bermuda starting their campaign against Curaçao at the Flora Duffy Stadium.

“I think this under-17 team has a lot of potential and the coaching staff is doing a really good job,” said Hayward, who guided St George’s to success in the FA Cup last season.

“There’s a lot of synergy, connectivity, unity and quality on the field. I think if they want it, the sky is the limit, they can really go far. All they have to do is really work hard and win it. They have to step out of their comfort zone and see how far they can go.”

David Jones Jr, who played for the under-17 team under Scott Morton in 2012, had some kind words for the next generation of players at the end of the match.

“It was my first time to see them play and I think they have a great team,” Jones said.

“I think they were very fit and they moved the ball very well. They played some hard football and we were happy to help them get ready for the tournament.

“Hopefully they do well because the international stage is tougher competition. They just have to keep working harder.”