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Austin back at Stoke
By Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
Jamaica's Rudolph Austin (right) fends off Shawn Martin Henriquez (left) and Ronald Cerritos Flores of El Salvador during their international friendly at the National Stadium on November 18. Jamaica won 3-0. - Ricardo Makyn
National utility player Rudolph Austin departed the island on Thursday for England, a day after his impressive showing in the second of two friendly internationals against Central American opposition at the National Stadium.
The 21-year-old will be training with Championship team Stoke City, already the home club of compatriots Ricardo Fuller, the club's leading scorer and midfielder/defender Demar Phillips. It will be the second time that Austin will be training with the club in the hope of gaining a contract.
Rave reviews
Austin, a former standout for Clarendon College in the daCosta Cup football competition earned rave reviews for his displays in the defensive midfield position in Jamaica's two games against El Salvador and Guatemala. In the first he scored a screamer out of nothing from about 40 yards to open the scoring in his country's 3-0 win.
"I will be training with them this time for a month. The plan is for the club to reapply for a work permit when the transfer window re-opens in January. If that fails then I will go to another club in Belgium or somewhere else in Europe until I earn more national caps and will be able to secure a work permit," Austin told the Star.
"The fact that I am going back now shows that they really want me on their books and do not want to take any risks by having me remain in Jamaica and playing in the Cash Plus Premier League and possibly get injured. They want me up here training with them where they can monitor me," added the player who is currently on the books of Portmore United.
Just before the closing of the international transfer window on September 1, Stoke failed to secure a work permit for Austin after an impressive two-week trial period with the club along with Phillips. Then the home office ruled that he had not secured enough caps for the national team.
"It's a big disappointment. The case was thrust upon us and so we didn't have time to prepare for it," Stoke's assistant manager, Dave Kemp was quoted as saying at the time.
"He's trained brilliantly and been very impressive. He's fully fit now and back in the Jamaican national team, but because of the injury he missed three Gold Cup qualifying games and so didn't meet the necessary criteria for being considered a regular international.
"He will be very disappointed, but we will keep tabs on him and hopefully we can do something in the future.
"I believe we can re-apply for a permit in 12 months," Kemp added then.
In the meantime Austin said that securing a place in the starting line-up with a close to the strongest Jamaican team available was the realisation of a dream. Having got a taste of action among the big boys Austin said there is no looking back. "I think it is only up from here right now. The first game I was really proud of the way I played, the way I tackled, covered ground and especially the goal. The second game was a little bit different, but I think I did reasonably well and besides it is a learning process. It will not always be smooth," he offered.
By Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
Jamaica's Rudolph Austin (right) fends off Shawn Martin Henriquez (left) and Ronald Cerritos Flores of El Salvador during their international friendly at the National Stadium on November 18. Jamaica won 3-0. - Ricardo Makyn
National utility player Rudolph Austin departed the island on Thursday for England, a day after his impressive showing in the second of two friendly internationals against Central American opposition at the National Stadium.
The 21-year-old will be training with Championship team Stoke City, already the home club of compatriots Ricardo Fuller, the club's leading scorer and midfielder/defender Demar Phillips. It will be the second time that Austin will be training with the club in the hope of gaining a contract.
Rave reviews
Austin, a former standout for Clarendon College in the daCosta Cup football competition earned rave reviews for his displays in the defensive midfield position in Jamaica's two games against El Salvador and Guatemala. In the first he scored a screamer out of nothing from about 40 yards to open the scoring in his country's 3-0 win.
"I will be training with them this time for a month. The plan is for the club to reapply for a work permit when the transfer window re-opens in January. If that fails then I will go to another club in Belgium or somewhere else in Europe until I earn more national caps and will be able to secure a work permit," Austin told the Star.
"The fact that I am going back now shows that they really want me on their books and do not want to take any risks by having me remain in Jamaica and playing in the Cash Plus Premier League and possibly get injured. They want me up here training with them where they can monitor me," added the player who is currently on the books of Portmore United.
Just before the closing of the international transfer window on September 1, Stoke failed to secure a work permit for Austin after an impressive two-week trial period with the club along with Phillips. Then the home office ruled that he had not secured enough caps for the national team.
"It's a big disappointment. The case was thrust upon us and so we didn't have time to prepare for it," Stoke's assistant manager, Dave Kemp was quoted as saying at the time.
"He's trained brilliantly and been very impressive. He's fully fit now and back in the Jamaican national team, but because of the injury he missed three Gold Cup qualifying games and so didn't meet the necessary criteria for being considered a regular international.
"He will be very disappointed, but we will keep tabs on him and hopefully we can do something in the future.
"I believe we can re-apply for a permit in 12 months," Kemp added then.
In the meantime Austin said that securing a place in the starting line-up with a close to the strongest Jamaican team available was the realisation of a dream. Having got a taste of action among the big boys Austin said there is no looking back. "I think it is only up from here right now. The first game I was really proud of the way I played, the way I tackled, covered ground and especially the goal. The second game was a little bit different, but I think I did reasonably well and besides it is a learning process. It will not always be smooth," he offered.
Care to remind me how?
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