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National Under 15 team captain Jerrel Britto was among the first to welcome back this country's Under 17 footballers as they walked through the VIP lounge of the Piarco International Airport the day after qualifying for the FIFA Under 17 World Championship back in May.

He had been part of the provisional squad prior to the CONCACAF final round but didn't make the cut. He also didn't let that prevent from him from holding up a "Welcome back Warriors" banner upon the team's arrival. Some four months later he wore the armband proudly for the T&T Under 15s and finished as the tournament's topscorer with 15 goals, guiding T&T to third spot in the CFU U15 Youth Cup.

The 15-year-old Queen's Royal College student is not easily carried away though, even though his showing off in front of goal before converting T&T's final goal in last Thursday's 5-0 win over Guyana may have suggested that he hardly rated the opposition. He watched on as the T&T Under 17s suffered defeats in South Korea and knows that finishing as topscorer is merely a title.

"It was a very good experience because I'm now gaining the exposure," the San Juan Jabloteh player told TTFF Media. "I was happy to be part of the Under 15 team especially as I had the experience of being with the Under 17s so in a way I was like a senior player here and I tried to pass it on."

"We had a fighting spirit and we were a family type team.  The staff was always with us. We were always talking and trying to do the right things spiritually, mentally and with the game itself. I hope we can stay together, train hard and come out on top with the qualifiers next year. I'm really looking forward to that now," added Britto who hails from San Juan.

 "My aim is to keep on working hard because I see too that the level is a high one on the world stage.

"I looked at the Under 17s on TV and you could see they tried very hard. I want to be part of that as well so I know we have a lot of work to improve as a team and qualify for the next World Cup as well," Britto said. The young forward score in all of T&T's six games in the tournament, tallying 15 of the 27 goals scored. Teammate Anslem Jackson and Dinell Lopez were next with three goals apiece. (Sept 4, 2007.Photo shows Britto second from right in training with the U17s prior to their departure for South Korea)