Carter ready to do ‘something special’

After being without club football for more than a year, national striker Trudi Carter says she is ready to seize the opportunity to return to her best with Lithuanian Club FK Gintra

Carter, 26, recently signed a contract with the club until the end of the season, ending a year-long wait to return to club football. She previously signed with Italian club AS Roma in 2018 but injuries the following year which almost cost her a chance to play at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup eventually led to her being released. Carter last played competitive football with the national team in February 2020 during the Concacaf Olympic qualifying tournament before COVID-19 brought football to a hiatus.

Carter said that she is determined to look ahead with the club and is committed to repaying the faith the team has placed in her.

"The stage of my career in Rome did not go as I had hoped for myself and the team. However, sadness and grief do not make sense as I only look forward," Carter said on the club's website. "Today I am here and thank the club leaders, coaches for trusting me and giving me a chance to return to my best and prove that I can be useful to the team."

It is a team that has had a Jamaican in its ranks before. Reggae Girl Toriana Patterson played for the club in 2017. It was Patterson that helped influence Carter's decision to sign with the team.

"Before I arrived, I heard a lot of good reviews about this club from my team-mate Toriana Patterson who has played here before. From the very first moments, I was warmly received by the staff and teammates. I came with the goal to do something special," Carter said.

That goal includes a long run in this season's Women's Champions League, a milestone that Carter is excited to reach and to take advantage of.

"The UEFA Champions League is another big goal for me. I know that the Gintra team had very solid performances in this tournament a few years ago so I hope that this season we will bring back those memories and move as far as possible," Carter said.

Gintra begin their Champions League campaign against Estonia club FC Flora on August 18.