Fearless Austin returns

AFTER SITTING out the Jamaica-Honduras qualifier, Rudolph Austin returns to the squad for the crucial match against Canada next Wednesday.

While not playing long in a professional environment, Austin is a model professional. While naturally gifted, he works hard at his game seeking always to improve.

Had it not been for injuries, this Clarendon native would have been a fixture in the national team.

Austin is capable of filling a position anywhere in midfield or in defence but now appears most comfortable in a defensive midfield role. This is one which Jamaica has been struggling to find a successor in the likes of the late Peter Cargill and Fitzroy Simpson.

He is a strong, fearless tackler who packs a rasping shot from both open play and from the dead ball. Local clubs have paid for committing the sins of fouling his teammates from the region of about 25 to 30 yards from goal. He has also shown his class striking from distance for the national team.

He first came to the attention playing for the country's Under-20 team, where he formed an almost impregnable defensive partnership with Jermaine Taylor. Though injuries have robbed him of good chunks of playing time in the past, he has rallied back with a vengeance.

FACT FILE

NAME: Rudolph Austin

DOB: June 1, 1985

POSITION: Midfielder/defender

CURRENT CLUB: SK Brann FC (Norway)

CAPS: 17 GOALS: 1

ACHIEVEMENTS: U-20s, U-23s caps