Former Chelsea player and Swindon Town Football Club’s veteran defensive midfielder Anthony Grant, believes his knowledge of the game, his quality and his experience combine to make him a decent prospect to hold down the crucial central midfielder’s role in Theodore Whitmore’s Reggae Boyz squad.
The 34-year-old, who has teamed up with the Reggae Boyz for the first time, qualifies to represent the black, green and gold through his mother who was born in Port Antonio, Portland.
“Obviously I’ve grown up in England and I want to represent Jamaica because I figure I can offer something in the defensive midfield position that I think can help the team qualify for the World Cup,” Grant told the Jamaican media from the team’s hotel in Mexico City on Wednesday.
“One of my strengths is winning the ball back and giving it to the players and my positioning and leadership as a player I think I can offer a lot to this team.”
The position of central midfield, particularly defensively, has been a weak area for the Reggae Boyz for some time, and Whitmore has made no secrets about his desire to have that area filled if the Boyz are to seriously challenge for one of the three automatic berths to the Qatar FIFA World Cup Finals next year.
Born in Lambeth, England in 1987, Grant joined Chelsea at age seven and remained there until the age of 21 when he played just one match between 2004 and 2008.
Since then he has moved to 10 clubs, ending up at Swindon Town where he has been since 2019 on loan, then permanently. Throughout the period he has played with Oldham Athletic, Wycombe Wanderers (loan), Luton Town (loan), Southend United (loan), then permanently, Stevenage, Crewe Alexandra, Port Vale, Peterborough United, Shrewsbury Town, Swindon Town.
“I started off at Chelsea from I was like seven until I was 21, good experience there, obviously played with some good players like John Terry, Lampard (Frank), Drogba (Didier), and Makelele (Claude), obviously that’s where I learnt my role of playing defensive midfielder. Left there went on to Southend and went on to play something like 200 games; went to like Peterborough, Crewe, Port Vale and now I’m at Swindon,” recalled Grant.
“From when I was at Chelsea I wanted to play for Jamaica. I come here (Jamaica) every year, minimum I spend here two weeks, the longest is probably a month and a half, but I didn’t know that you had to call up or say you are available. I thought it was like the England setup where they come and watch you, identify you and then send you an email and inform you that way. If I knew it was phoning up and saying that you are available then I would have done that from I first made my debut at 17, and I would have been playing probably from then,” he added.
Though exhibiting a resume of a Journeyman, Grant has represented England at the Under-16, Under-17 and Under-19 levels. Tonight he could be called on by Whitmore to lend his experience in that vital area for the Reggae Boyz.
