Griffiths NATIONAL midfielder Winston Griffiths left the island last Thursday to begin a second week of trials with British Nationwide First Division team, Bolton Wanderers.
The 22-year-old Galaxy midfielder spent a week with the club which has another Jamaican, Ricardo Gardner, on their roster before returning home last week for Jamaica's World Cup qualifier against El Salvador. Griffiths said he left Bolton at the end of the first trial stint with the understanding that he would return after the World Cup qualifying game.
"I will go back up after this game," Griffiths told the Gleaner prior to Wednesday's game.
"I played one practice game but a lot of trialists were there so they said they wanted to see me in a proper game maybe with the reserve team to get a bettter opportunity so they want me to come back up weekend," continued Griffiths who initially went to England for a two-week trial with Second Division team Reading before being released.
It was while Griffiths was at Reading that he was spotted by one of the coaches of Bolton Wanderers while playing in a practice game. "I am not really sure (how I got invited to Bolton) but I think that one of the Bolton coaches visited one of the games. After I was not signed by Reading he questioned why they never signed me and asked if I was available to come to Bolton for a trial and I just went, Griffiths explained.
At Reading Griffiths said the type of football played was different from what he was used to in Jamaica in that "it was the basic English kind of a game mainly long ball, getting down the line and squaring." This he said he handled alright and was hopeful of being signed.
He said he was particularly hopeful as the club said they wanted a left-sided player, which suited him. The fact that he scored on his debut and created two goals in a 4-0 for Reading on his debut, he felt put him in astrong position.
"At first they said they were looking for an outside left player and as the trials went on they changed and said that the money they had was just enough to sign one player and they did not think they meeded an outside left player again.
"I was disappointed because everything was going fine up to the last minute but right after that the Bolton opportunity came so I just said well I have to take advantage of it."
After getting a second chance at Bolton Griffiths is confident that he will succeed. "If I play well and score some goals then I should be up for consideration," he said.
In order for him to make his trial a success Griffiths conceded that he had to make adjustments to his game. "I definitely have to work on the speed aspect of my game, tackling is important and it is a very physical game in England, much more than it is in Jamaica so I have to work on that."
If Griffiths succeeds he could find himslef competing with his countryman Gardner, who ironically is hosting him, when he returns to action from a knee injury.
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