Youngsters can put themselves in shop window, says Lambe
Toronto FC winger Reggie Lambe has urged his Bermuda teammates to make a name for themselves when they lock horns with England C at the National Sports Centre tonight.Lambe, 22, believes the friendly match is a rare opportunity for those Bermuda youngsters with professional ambitions to catch the eye of esteemed coaches like England C boss Paul Fairclough and his staff.In 2005 Khano Smith was snapped by Steve Nicol when his New England Revolution side toured the Island, and Lambe reckons Fairclough, the director of football at Barnet, could have one eye on Bermuda’s players.“Every time you step onto the field you have to be ready for anything and this is a good chance for our younger guys to go out and show that they can compete at a higher level and perform well,” said the former Ipswich Town and Bristol Rovers man.“Chances like this that don’t come around often and you have to be ready to take the chance.“Hopefully one of the boys does well and gets a call from the UK asking to be made available to go over there and apply himself. ”Fairclough, who coached Damon Ming at Barnet from 2004-2005, said he hopes Bermuda’s players do try and impress him during tonight’s game.“I hope (they do try and catch my eye), that’s what it’s all about,” he said.Despite being only 26, Keishen Bean is already one of the national team’s elder statesmen.And he believes the youthful make-up of Bermuda’s side bodes well for the future.“It will be great if one of the younger guys gets a chance to be given a good look at,” said the North Village midfielder. “They are all good players and you can see that by the number of players we have overseas in this current team.“For me to be 26 and one of the senior members means we have a good foundation of youngsters coming through and it bodes well for the future of Bermuda football.“It’s key in matches like this that not only do you play well, but you show that you can play in a team environment“Everyone knows Bermuda has talented footballers, but we have a tendency of playing the individual game rather then the team.”Bermuda, who will use the game to prepare for next month’s NatWest Island Games on home soil, take on England C at 7.30pm.