Sammy DeGraff says he is determined to prove coach Kenny Thompson wrong for dropping him from the national team's World Cup qualifying matches against Trinidad earlier this summer.

Despite having struck two goals against Cayman Islands in the previous round, DeGraff was surprisingly axed from Bermuda's squad with Thompson opting to go with the less experienced Kris Frick instead.

Two months have passed since Bermuda shock Caribbean football by beating the Soca Warriors in their 'own backyard', but DeGraff said he is still hurting after being left out in the cold while his team-mates made history.

"Being left out of the squad was really hard to take especially considering how well I'd played against Cayman," said DeGraff, who has been recalled for Bermuda's Digicel Caribbean Cup campaign.

"Even now I still think about it. Of course I was ecstatic about the win over Trinidad, but I guess I had the devil on one shoulder and God on the other as it's always hard to watch the team do well when you're not there."

DeGraff is almost certain to start for Bermuda against Antigua and Barbuda at the Truman Bodden Stadium today, and has vowed to make it impossible for Thompson to jettison him from his squad again.

"I guess I do have a little extra motivation considering what happened," he said.

"Coaches pick who they think is right for the occasion, that's their job and they make mistakes just like players do. Obviously I didn't agree with Kenny's decision, but I respected it.

"Now I want to make it extremely tough for him to leave me out again. I know what qualities I bring to the table."

In the absence of a raft of key players DeGraff says he felt duty-bound to make himself available for this week's competition even though he is in desperate need of rest and recuperation.

"I'm still pretty tired after the Bermuda Hogges' season," he says. "But when I heard a lot of guys weren't coming to Cayman I felt I had to be with the team.

"I've always performed well in Cayman and I always seem comfortable playing football here. Hopefully I can piggy-back off my last game on the Island when I scored twice. It was probably my best game for Bermuda."