MINNOWS HAVE STARS IN SIGHTS

NESTLED in the heart of the Caribbean, the tiny tropical island of Montserrat provides the location for an emotive tale of footballing redemption.

- Hugo Varley

Back in 2002, the British overseas territory, then the lowest-ranked nation in the world, hit the headlines when they fell to a 4-0 defeat against Bhutan, the side ranked one place above them.

The match took place on the day of the World Cup final and was dubbed “The Other Final”, inspiring an award-winning documentary but confining Montserrat to an unfortunate footnote of sporting history.

Nineteen years later, this narrative has been replaced with a story of determination, pride and resurgence.

Fuelled by a carefully crafted recruitment drive from within England’s Non-League pyramid, the Emerald Boys, as they are affectionately known on the island, have begun to take Caribbean football by storm.

This month, Montserrat, whose 19-man squad contained 14 Non-League players, came heartbreakingly close to a first major tournament, losing a Gold Cup play-off against Trinidad & Tobago in Miami.

After falling inches short of facing the likes of Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic and Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies in North America’s pinnacle national-team competition, the predominantly English-based side are determined to go one better next time.

“Being part of this project is one of the most special things that has happened in my life,” said Tonbridge Angels left-back Craig Braham-Barrett.