14 June 2006 DWIGHT: FERGIE'S GOT ME IN SHAPE TO BEAT ENGLAND GROUP B: ENGLAND v TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, TOMORROW, KO 5pm John Cross Reports From Rotenburg
DWIGHT YORKE last night revealed Sir Alex Ferguson is desperate for Trinidad to humiliate England in tomorrow's World Cup showdown.
Manchester United's Scottish manager invited Yorke to return to his old club to train for three months in the build-up to the tournament.
And if that helps the Caribbean islanders pull off one of the biggest World Cup shocks ever, Yorke expects Fergie to be straight on the phone.
With a population of 1.7million, Trinidad and Tobago are the smallest nation to reach a finals - but they know most of Scotland will be rooting for them against England.
Yorke, 34, left Old Trafford in 2002 after falling out with Ferguson, but his former boss was happy to welcome him back if it meant boosting Trinidad's chances of an upset.
"Everyone from Scotland, including Sir Alex, has made it clear they want us to do well against England," said Yorke, who trained with United as his season with Sydney FC in Australia had finished.
"If we do well, I'm sure Sir Alex will be on the phone the next day. He told me to go out and enjoy the occasion, the moment, because this is once in a lifetime, given that I'm coming to the end of my career. They got me in good nick for this competition.
He made sure I had a sense of belief because you need that on an occasion like this. I can't thank Sir Alex and his staff enough. They made me feel as if I was one of their players again."
The Trinidad skipper believes the team's band of lower league players can cause another upset just five days after they held Sweden to a goalless draw after playing with 10 men for almost all of the second half. Yorke revealed he has been winding up some of his former Old Trafford team-mates such as David Beckham, Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand - and can't wait to face them again. "This is very special, an historic moment for us," he said. "We never thought we'd be playing against England in a million years in a World Cup."
The striker, who will continue in an unfamiliar midfield role tomorrow, added: "I've spoken to Gary Neville and Rio and texted both of them.
"It's a bit of banter, wishing them all the best for them for their game against Paraguay.
They wished us the same back. The texts with Rio were a little more intimate.
"My relationship with Becks has always been fantastic, and it will be a bit strange coming up against him. I always thought he was a fantastic player. His work-rate, his leadership, his supply, he leads by example. A fit and in-form David Beckham would cause havoc to any team. I know his game inside out but we have to be at our best to make sure he's not at the top of his game."
Beckham is the man who most worries Trinidad, with their coach Leo Beenhakker pointing to how heavily England rely on set pieces. The Dutchman, twice manager at Real Madrid, added: "We've a lot of respect for our opponents, but you shouldn't overestimate them. In the last two matches against Jamaica and Paraguay, England scored seven goals and five of them were from dead balls. It means they're struggling to create chances and beat opponents from open play."
