Bascome: Talent alone is not enough

Andrew Bascome has told Bermuda’s footballers the visit of England C was the perfect reminder that talent alone is never enough.

The national team coach was speaking before his team suffered a chastening 6-1 defeat to Paul Fairclough’s Three Lions at the National Sports Centre on Tuesday night.

Bascome was a keen observer at the England C’s training session and was impressed with the work ethic of the squad, which is made up of the best under-23 players from England’s non-league divisions.

He believes the chance to compete regularly against such teams is vital for the education of aspiring Bermudian footballers.

He told the Bermuda Sun: “It’s important because we think talent is enough in this country but without putting the hard work in, talent is not enough.

“Teams like England C being here gives us an indication of how hard we have to compete just to enjoy the game.

“If I was young player I would have definitely relished the opportunity to show what I can do this week — both technically with the ball and the discipline and the hard work without the ball.

“There are opportunities out there but it’s important that we get exposed because Bermuda is just a tight-knit, small community.

‘False concept’

“Sometimes you get a false concept when people tell you you are talented or a good player — sometimes the head gets a little big and you forget the work and you get complacent.

“But it’s games like this that will remind us.

“It is a great opportunity to make this a regular thing. We’ve also got the Island Games coming up and hopefully we can inspire younger players to be the best that they can be on and off the pitch — that’s important.”

For Bascome’s England C counter Fairclough, the trip was all about preparing his side for the International Challenge Trophy, which begins in September.

But he also acknowledged that the representative side’s presence on the island was important for the local football community.

He told the Bermuda Sun : “We’ve gone into schools and I hope this trip can stimulate the youth of Bermuda and get more of them to engage in football, to get them to aspire  to play for the national side and just play the game in itself. I believe we are the first England team to come out here and that speaks volumes for the English FA and what we think of Bermuda, so I’m hoping it just stimulates a whole new generation of footballers on the island.”

Fairclough said he was personally keen to make the trip a more regular fixture, adding: “Anything we can do to promote the game on the island.

“I know things are improving. As we drove around, there were little pockets of football games going on so anything we can do to help.”