Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Leston Paul will get the chance to mingle with Sunderland's Premiership players including T&T's own Carlos Edwards, Dwight Yorke and Kenwyne Jones when he and seven other Caribbean players attend the club's League encounter with Manchester City.

Paul, courtesy of the Digicel Kick Start clinic has been at the Academy of Light since last Saturday. 

The eight Digicel footballers were greeted by unseasonable snow as they landed at Gatwick in London on Sunday April 6.  The boys then headed to Sunderland by train to begin training at the Academy on Monday April 7

 

The Sunderland stint was pushed back on two occasions and Paul, on each occasion missed out on representing the T&T Senior team. Twice he was excused from the hectic training schedule with T&T before late delays regarding   the Sunderland trip occurred. However since his arrival there, the trip has been well worth it so far, according to the T&T Under 17 ex-captain. "It's been a really good trip so far and I'm taking everything from the experience with me," he said. 

 On Day one Andrew Murray (Guyana), Joseph Guemsley & Renaud Brisley (Haiti), Gerard Williams & Devaugn Elliot (St. Kitts), Emilio Limon (Suriname), Paul (Trinidad and Tobago) and Akeem Brown (Jamaica) were greeted by Ged McNamee, Sunderland AFC Academy Director.  Each Digicel player received Umbro training kits, given the club rules and regulations and underwent fitness training and tests.  Due to the snow, the boys were unable to train outside and were taken to an indoor pitch to train with the Sunderland reserve team.

 On Day two, according to a Digicel press release,  the boys were able to train on an outside pitch.  Due to the boys' ages and size, the Digicel players were separated: three boys (Brisley, Williams and Limon) went to train with the reserve and the remaining five trained with the youth team.  Ged McNamee explains the separation:  "We think it best for the boys to be equally matched in order for them to get the most out of training and this also allows the coaches to assess the players against the recruitment criteria and to observe their potential to determine whether the players could progress further."

 At the end of training on Day two, the Digicel footballers were taken on a tour of the Sunderland AFC's Stadium of Light. From immaculate changing rooms to the well equipped press room to walking through the player's tunnel, the boys were shown what it would be like to play for a premier league club.

 With the boys' excitement in full gear, the Digicel footballers now enter into Day three of training when Sunderland Club manager Roy Keane will observe the Caribbean talent.

On Saturday, Paul and company have the opportunity to meet all the players and Sunderland AFC's Chairman, Niall Quinn.  The Digicel Kick Start footballers will return to Jamaica on Monday April 14. (April 9, 2008.Top photo shows Paul (standing third from left) in the Sunderland Press Room)