Justin Donawa is determined to make up for lost time ahead of a potential first appearance for the national side in more than two years.

The 27-year-old was the headline name among five changes to head coach Michael Findlay’s squad ahead of the Concacaf Nations League match in Belize, which starts at 11pm Bermuda time tonight.

Donawa has not featured for Bermuda since a 4-1 defeat away to Haiti in a Gold Cup qualification match in July 2021 but the forward, who was forced out for nearly a year after fracturing his distal fibular in December of that year, is thrilled to be back in the national set-up.

“It’s definitely been a while, but I’m delighted to be back involved with the Bermuda squad,” said Donawa, who ruled himself out of Bermuda’s last Nations League campaign as he continued his return to full fitness. He also missed the recent goalless draw at home to French Guiana and the 4-3 defeat away to St Vincent & the Grenadines with a calf injury.

“Things are a little different within the squad with some new faces and head coach, but nothing has changed in terms of the objectives.

“We all want to win every game and move in the right direction in terms of achieving our goals of qualifying for competitions like the Gold Cup.

“Naturally, I had some dialogue with the new coach and I was really pleased with everything he said about plans to take the team forward. It was a big part of one of the reasons why I wanted to be involved again.

“It was a no-brainer for me. This was a good opportunity to try and get back into the swing of things with the national team and hopefully I can have an impact towards achieving what we are trying to do, starting with six points from these next two games.”

With the national set-up going through a transitional phase and a focus on emerging young talent, Donawa concedes there is a greater emphasis on the seasoned professionals to take on more responsibility and lead from the front.

“It’s actually quite strange for me coming back in because I’m now one of the older players involved,” he added.

“It’s weird to think in that sense that I’m one of the guys that the younger players look up to, to be an example.

“As one of the senior players I have to be more accountable and hold more responsibility for making sure that the team achieves its collective goals.

“To some degree I’ve always tried to be someone who takes on responsibility and naturally lead by example if I can.

“The older players are the ones who need to be responsible for getting us going. We have the experience at this level and so we have to be the ones to step up and help this group move forward.”

Despite enduring a slow start to the Nations League campaign, Donawa is adamant there is more than enough talent within the squad to help turn fortunes around.

“The national team has never lacked talent and so it’s just about getting the most out of the players we have,” he said.

“Although there are some new faces, a lot of them are playing at a high level overseas. We all want to win and so we have to go out, leave it all out on the field and execute on the day.

“It’s a really exciting time for the national team and I’m in no doubt that we are more than capable of going into each game and winning.”

After working his way back to fitness, Donawa has shown glimpses of his best form with new club Altrincham, who he joined from Vanarama National League rivals Solihull Moors in June, scoring in a 2-0 victory away at Gateshead last weekend.

“The last two years were difficult with injuries but I finally feel like I’ve come out on the other side and I’m feeling good physically again,” he added.

“I’m having an impact again, including scoring a couple of goals and so hopefully I can build on that with Bermuda. For me it is a good opportunity to continue building on my recent form and have an impact for the national team again.

“However, I know it’s more than just about the individuals and it is important that we all do what we can as a collective to get that first three points.”