A certain 2006 World Cup footballer signs for Dover Athletic according to reports emerging this week, but not to play however.
The Whites have appointed a former Trinidad & Tobago keeper Kelvin Jack to replace Lee Worgan in the summer but he’s stayed in the background according to Kent Online.
The National League‘s club assistant boss Nicky Southall who also went to the same World Cup, is part of a management team that saw ex-Aston Villa player Liam Ridgewell complete the lineup.
He said that Kelvin Jack, now aged 44, has been on board since the start of the 2020/21 campaign.
“We lost Lee Worgan and needed to replace him,” said Southall.
“He’s someone we knew well, he’s local, living in Sittingbourne, and he ticks a lot of boxes.
“He’s been fantastic for the keepers we have.
“He’s played at the World Cup and you can’t pass up opportunities to get that level of experience at your club. You’ve got to grab it and he’s been brilliant for us.
“Nothing’s really been mentioned about him. He came in pre-season, a bit under the radar, and I just thought it would be nice to give him a bit of recognition for the job he’s doing.
“With Liam coming in as well, we’ve got a lot of experience in our management team.
“We just want to see the fruits of our labour and get a few wins to give everyone a lift.”
The Trinidad and Tobago keeper was with Scottish outfit Dundee when he went to the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
He suffered injury, which meant that he couldn’t be part of the first two games, which was a goalless draw against Sweden and a 2-0 defeat by England.
He managed to regain his place from Shaka Hislop for the final group match, as Trinidad bowed out with a 2-0 defeat against Paraguay.
JACK’S CAREER:
1994–1996 – Trincity United
1997 – Joe Public
1997–1998 – Yavapai Roughriders
1999 – VCU Rams
1999–2000 – Doc’s Khelwalaas – 40 games
2000 – W Connection – 6 games
2001–2003 – San Juan Jabloteh – 49 games
2004 – Reading
2004–2006 – Dundee – 16 games
2006–2008 – Gillingham – 9 games
2010 – Southend United
2010–2011 – Darlington
2010–2011 → Kettering Town (loan) – 9 games
2011 – AFC Hornchurch – 1 games
2011 – Maidstone United – 3 games
2012 – Kettering Town – 3 games
Total – 138 games
National team
1997–2006 – Trinidad and Tobago – 33 games
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He travelled to Germany as coach Leo Beenhakker’s first-choice goalkeeper for Trinidad & Tobago.
He was expected to play in their first game against Sweden but sustained a calf injury in the warm up, enabling Shaka Hislop to step in. Jack, who would later describe the experience as ‘the saddest day of his life’, also missed out on playing in the team’s second match against England.
I [had] picked up a calf strain the week before [the Sweden game], yet another injury. I got intense medical treatment on it; the medical staff was good. I trained twice before the game, and it felt OK.
So [I was] warming up before the game and soaking up the atmosphere. During the warm-up while I was kicking, I realized that I couldn’t go full out. I couldn’t sprint properly, and it felt as though the muscle was actually going to tear. I was on the pitch, and I really didn’t tell anybody, I was just monitoring it on my own.
At the end of the warm-up session, I went up to [goalkeeper coach] Michael Maurice, and I said, “Brother, I think I’m struggling”, and he said, “You sure?” I said, “‘Yeah, I think I’m struggling big-time’.” I said, “If I play, I think I could tear [my calf muscle], and if I tear it, that’s going to be it, that’s going to be the end of my World Cup.”
Right then and there I made the decision that it made no sense for me to play for my personal glory when I’m not fully fit, and then let the team down. So I told the coach [Leo Beenhakker] what was going on, and he asked me if I was sure.
He asked, “Can you try?”. I said, “No, I can’t do it.” The coach didn’t get [angry] or perplexed, he just said, “OK my friend.” Then he started looking at Clayton [Ince] and Shaka [Hislop]… Shaka was doing a proper warm-up, and Clayton was off to the side juggling some balls and so forth.
He looked at them a few times, and he called Shaka and said to him, “You are playing. Are you ready?”, and Shaka said, “Yes, I’m ready.”, and that was that. He put in an inspired performance that day.
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