Bermuda Football Association (BFA) officials refused to be ruffled by yesterday's delay of the charter flight to Cuba for the return leg of the Under-17 World Cup qualifier.

In fact, BFA Technical Director and coach of the Island's Under-17 squad, Kenny Thompson, said the late-night departure rather than a morning journey to the Caribbean - as was originally scheduled - suited him strategically.

"From a footballing standpoint the delay works in our favour because, with training sessions in the opponents' country, we have to plan on how many eyes may be watching. So with the flight being delayed we were able to hold a training session this morning at the National Sports Centre (NSC) without worrying about the eyes of the opponent.

"Our training session today was of a technical nature and now we only have two training sessions to plan in Cuba. Those will be meaningless technically, based on the fact that the opponents will be watching us.

"From that standpoint, we are not displeased about the delay," said Thompson, speaking to The Royal Gazette before boarding the charter to Cuba last night.

The flight, specially organised by Victory Charters & Tours, was supposed to have left Bermuda at 10 a.m. but was inexplicably delayed until 10 p.m.

BFA Secretary David Sabir also dismissed any idea that the late flight would upset the Under-17s preparation for Sunday's showdown on foreign soil, saying it only meant "getting there a few hours later than anticipated".

"It's a direct flight so we will get there fairly quickly and because we will get there late, it's just a matter of checking in and going straight to bed," noted Thompson.

Neither he nor Sabir could offer any explanation for the delay, advising that such questions be directed to Victory Charters' personnel. Repeated attempts to contact Murray Brown, who handled bookings for the trip, failed.

Bermuda's young footballers will be seeking a vital away triumph in Sunday's match having played to gripping 0-0 draw at the National Sports Centre last Saturday night.