BINGLEY man Jacob Hazel has been reflecting on the experience of a lifetime at the Gold Cup in Canada and the USA, which ended on Monday with Mexico winning the final against Panama.

The Darlington FC striker was part of the St Kitts and Nevis squad that qualified for the first time in their history, playing in all three of their group games against the US, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.

Not surprisingly, given Hazel and many of his team-mates play non-league football in England, they found it tough, losing all three games without scoring, but the little nation’s achievement was simply getting there.

Hazel, who lives in Wilsden despite plying his trade up in the North-East, said: “On paper, we weren’t even expected to win our preliminary games against Curacao and French Guiana.

“Looking at the results at the tournament, you just have to pinch yourself that you were even there playing those teams.

“It was an amazing feeling to be out there.

“On the day of the game, you go into it wanting to win or you feel like there’s no point turning up, but thinking about what we’ve done for St Kitts and Nevis is bigger than anything.

“We’ve done a lot to make our families proud and put the country on the map, and though the results were disappointing, we were playing against the best of the best like the USA, and taking yourself out of the competitive spirit for a minute and thinking where you were at was incredible.”

Underlining just how extraordinary qualification was for the tiny country, Hazel said: “The only one of our players from the EFL was Cardiff’s Romaine Sawyers.

“So for a lot of us, even maybe him, this was the pinnacle of what we could achieve.

“I can’t put it into words because better players have come before us and not made it to the Gold Cup.

“Our first preliminary game against Curacao, they had players from the Championship and that have played in the Premier League, but we were only 1-0 down after 75 minutes and knew it was doable.

“We equalised then had the bit of luck we needed in the shootout.

“French Guiana felt more winnable and we did that on penalties too.

“There were a lot of tears at full-time, especially from the lads who come from the island themselves, who’ve been trying to achieve this for a while.

“This is like the Euros for our confederation, and what we did would be like San Marino qualifying for that tournament.”

Hazel first cap for St Kitts came in 2015, but his good form at Darlington last season earned him a recall for the first time in six years.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Jacob Halliday running at the Curzon Ashton defence for Darlington last season in National League North.Jacob Halliday running at the Curzon Ashton defence for Darlington last season in National League North. (Image: Steve Halliday.)

He said: “We’ve come a long way since my last cap in 2017.

“It’s been a change in attitude more than anything, we’ve always had the ability.

“My former captain in the national side, Attiba Harris, spent 10 years or so in the MLS, and now he’s the president of our FA.

“He’s brought that professionalism and guidance to the organisation and has been key in us making that next step.”

And a hopeful Hazel added: “Now we’ve done this, the next step is the World Cup in 2026.

“With it being held in the US, Canada and Mexico, there’ll be more spots available for nations in our confederation.

“It’s a bigger tournament too and you never know, stranger things have happened.”

The T&A has spoken to Jacob’s dad, Des, in the past, a talented winger who played for Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham and St Kitts.

Reflecting on that influence on his career, Hazel junior said: “He and mum have always backed me.

“They took me wherever I needed to be when I was playing football as a kid, whether that be Sundays, midweeks or whenever.

“Both parents were a massive influence and it was a proud moment for me to be at this Gold Cup for them, as dad played for St Kitts himself but never got chance to compete on that stage.”