This Is The One! (Maybe) Montserrat v. British Virgin Islands

So this is it.  A potentially huge match for Montserrat and a realistic opportunity to climb from the foot of the FIFA rankings and avoid defeat for the first time as a FIFA affiliated nation. 

I hope I’m not being too overly optimistic, but given the previous results in this group is it really too much to ask that Montserrat have a real chance against the British Virgin Islands?  All past history for Montserrat screams at me to stop being so daft, but let’s look at the evidence.

On one hand, BVI held Suriname to a closer score than Montserrat did, losing only 4-0, compared to Montserrat’s 7-1 defeat.  But then on the other hand, Martinique managed only a 5-0 win over Montserrat, but beat BVI by 16-0.  Naturally it is that BVI thumping that I’m clinging to in my hopes for this match.

The two have faced each other twice before, in Montserrat’s first two FIFA-affiliated matches, 1999 Caribbean Nations Cup preliminary round matches. Both matches in February 1999 were held in Road Town in BVI and both were home wins, 3-1 and 3-0 respectively.

So past history is in BVI’s favour, but they aren’t having the best of times in this tournament and are only ranked 189^th in the world, not too far above Montserrat.