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Donacien in Saint Lucia Squad - Ipswich Town News

Town defender Janoi Donacien has been named in the Saint Lucia squad for their CONCACAF Nations League games against Guadeloupe later this week.

Saint Lucia host the first game at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground on Thursday - part of a double-header which will see Chris Kiwomya’s British Virgin Islands take on Dominica - with the return at the Stade Municipal de Sainte-Anne on Sunday.

The 29-year-old was born in Castries, the capital of the Caribbean island, before moving to the UK when he was seven.

Donacien won his first cap in a 3-1 CONCACAF Gold Cup first preliminary round defeat to Martinque at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale when he played in midfield.

Asked about making his international debut at a relatively late stage in his career in August, the former Accrington man said: "With football in the Caribbean, the set-up has to be right and when they reached out to me, I felt the time was right to represent them.

"Previously, I didn’t think that was the case. But when I met the coach and some of their officials at a meeting, they sold me on what they were trying to do. I told them I would love to be involved.”

Donacien is Town's second Saint Lucia international, the Caribbean island's all-time top scorer Earl Jean having spent a short spell with George Burley's Blues in 1996/97, making one sub appearance without finding the net.

In total, Town have nine players away on international duty in this break. Massimo Luongo and Cameron Burgess with Australia, Wes Burns and Nathan Broadhead with Wales, Elkan Baggott with Indonesia, Cieran Slicker with Scotland's U21s, Dane Scarlett with the England Men's Elite League Squad and Woody Williamson with Scotland's U19s, while young keeper Henry Gray is training with the New Zealand squad but is not a full member of the party.

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