Stoke City: Phillips defends striker Fuller

DEMAR Phillips is more qualified than most to truly empathise with Ricardo Fuller after his time-keeping went awry ahead of last weekend's victory over Spurs.

Fuller was excused by his manager after oversleeping and reporting late for the Tottenham fixture in the aftermath of his jet-setting halfway round the world for Jamaica.

"Yes, sometimes it is very hard to recover from the trip and you can go two days without sleeping properly," says Phillips, Fuller's Jamaican compatriot and international colleague.

"Jamaica is six hours behind England and the trip itself is nine hours between England and Jamaica, so it can take a couple of days to fully recover again.

"You find yourself going to bed late at night and getting up late the next day because your body clock is not the same.

"Most Jamaicans, when they go away on international duty, need a couple of days to get back to normal, so it is hard when you have to play a game soon after coming back here."

At least Phillips, Fuller and Co can dream about the World Cup finals in South Africa in 2010 while they are catching up on their beauty sleep.

The equation appears fairly simple. If Jamaica win at home to Canada and Honduras lose at home to already-qualified Mexico in their final round of group matches next month, then Jamaican progress at the expense of Honduras.

Back-to-back home victories over Mexico and Honduras during the past fortnight have now dragged Jamaica back into serious contention, while the Caribbean island is still buzzing over Fuller's terrific match-winner in the 1-0 victory over Sven Goran Eriksson's Mexico.

"Ric's goal was a beautiful goal," says Phillips. "It was a good goal for Ric himself and a good goal for the team.

"Now we have a big chance. I think Mexico will beat Honduras, even though Mexico are already through, and we believe we can beat Canada."

Home advantage in Kingston has obviously worked wonders for Jamaica's qualifying campaign as they now seek a hat-trick of home wins when they face Canada on November 19.

"We just have to go out and play to the best of our ability," Phillips adds. "It is much easier at home – and with your own supporters behind you.

"To play in Mexico, for example, is very difficult. You really need two days to get used to the country and the climate there, but we had to play on the same day that we arrived."

Phillips, now 25, was a young teenager when Jamaica last qualified for the World Cup with Robbie Earle and Co in 1998, but not too young not to remember the wave of euphoria it sent around the Caribbean island.

"It was a great feeling for the country, for the players and everyone there. Everybody was happy and crime went down."

Crime went down? "Yes, sports change a lot of things in Jamaica because the people love their sports.

"It's every footballer's dream to go to the World Cup, isn't it? It's a big achievement, especially in South Africa because of the experience of going there. I would be very, very proud to do it."

Sadly for Phillips, his regular spot on the international stage is not replicated here in Stoke as he understandably struggles to make an impression on the bigger squad now accompanying City's first few footsteps into the Premier League.

"I just have to keep on working, hope I get my chance and then grab it with both hands," he says philosophically.

"I was going to Oldham earlier in the season on loan, but it wasn't working out well and so I came back to cheer on my team here.

"I have been playing in the Carling Cup and I think I have done well, but some way down the line I might go out on loan just to get some experience."

But not before a good night's rest.