World Cup place is ‘icing on the cake’ for delighted Dwight

DWIGHT YORKE claims playing in the World Cup finals for Trinidad & Tobago will be “the icing on the cake” as he approaches the end of his glittering career.

Yorke was a key figure in Manchester United’s 1999 Champions League victory and was no stranger to silverware in a career which also saw him play for Aston Villa, Blackburn and Birmingham.

However, after being lured out of international retirement this year, the 34-year-old claims he has capped it all by leading his country to the World Cup finals for the first time.

“Certainly with my career and the way things have gone with the Premiership and being at Man United and winning trophies there, to top it off with this is the icing on the cake,” he said.

“I just have to pay credit to Bertille St Clair who was my first coach, my minder and someone I look up to immensely.

“He talked me into coming back and giving a last effort for my country and trying to take my country to the World Cup.

“He was the one who gave me the armband as the captain as well. I did it when I was 20 years of age when I took our youth team to the World Cup in Portugal in 1990.

“That was the under-20 World Cup and to take the senior team here as the captain to the World Cup, that’s something to be very proud of.”

The victory over Bahrain secured Trinidad & Tobago’s passage to the finals with a 2-1 aggregate victory.

While St Clair’s influence on Yorke remains strong, the team struggled under his guidance in the early rounds of qualifying and picked up just one point from the opening three games before he was replaced by Dutchman Leo Beenhakker, who turned the team’s fortunes around to ultimately qualify for Germany.