By Neto Baptiste
Former national and Parham defender Eustace “Barba” Ferrance is being remembered as a hard worker and a disciplined individual by two of his former teammates.
Ferrance passed away in the wee hours of Monday following a prolonged battle with a suspected case of viral encephalitis or inflammation of the brain caused by a virus.
Former national defender and one of Ferrance’s close friends, Ivor “Ninja” Luke said he had hoped the former player would have pulled through despite his prolonged battle.
“He has always been a fighter and one of the toughest persons you would meet, but after the last incident where he didn’t get to go to Trinidad — and his sisters and his family were trying their best to get him to Trinidad — but after that didn’t work out he went back into the hospital for about two or three weeks and his body was deteriorating so I was kind of accepting that he may not make it back even given the great fighter he was,” he said.
Luke remembered the former Parham defender as a fierce player, but also one of the first to show empathy whenever the situation called for it.
“Ferrance would tackle you and if you’re injured the same Ferrance would immediately feel sorry for you. By right he would tackle you again but if he had caused you any sort of injury in that play, he is the first man that would be offering you sympathy. He was a complex man because he would play as hard as anyone or any of us, but at the same time he is the one who would have the most humility towards his opponent,” he said.
Meanwhile, former national and Parham midfielder Deon “Daryl” Greenaway, who rubbed shoulders with Ferrance at both the national and domestic levels, labelled the fallen player as one of the best the country has ever produced.
“That’s one of the best players I think the island has produced in terms of skills and talent. He is a guy who does not give up easily, so he was all-round in terms of technique and control, decision-making and on the mental part of it, so this guy was phenomenal,” he said.
Efforts were being made to fly Ferrance to Trinidad for additional medical assistance. The former player was recently discharged from the Sir Lester Bird Medical Center where he had spent several weeks.