NEIL Danns’ World Cup dream has been put on hold after passport problems held up his competitive debut for Guyana today.

The Wanderers midfielder was due to play for the Golden Jaguars in last night's CONCACAF Second Round game at St Vincent and the Grenadines but was left kicking his heels after paperwork problems rendered him unavailable.

No official explanation has been offered by the authorities but fellow overseas players Matthew Briggs (Millwall), Samuel Cox (Boreham Wood) and Marcel Barrington (Leicester City) were also denied a start. The Guyanese FA hope to have the issue cleared for the return leg on Sunday.

National team boss Jamaal Shabazz was forced to make some late alterations to his squad, who drew the game 1-1, but admitted the foreign-based quartet, who had been recruited to help boost Guyana’s chances of qualifying for the latter rounds, were a loss.

“I’m a bit disappointed that we didn’t get the help that we sought in terms of the paper work being done on time,” he told kaieteurnewsonline.com. “But we look forward to it being done for Sunday’s game.

“This is the challenge of football to rise above challenges and obstacles; of course it provides opportunities for the other guys who have been working hard to stake their claim in the team.”

Liverpool-born Danns made his international debut in March, qualifying through his grandfather, and featured in a 2-0 win over Grenada.

In order to fulfil his international duties the midfielder makes a 5,000-mile trip via three different flights, leading to some concern in the Wanderers camp over what affect the call-ups could have on the 32-year-old.

Bureaucratic hold-ups such as the one today – pre-season or not - will hardly endear the idea to the club any further.

But speaking in March, Danns underlined how important it was personally to represent the country of his grandfather’s birth, and that the distance would not be an issue.

“It’s something I really wanted to do,” said the former Leicester City man, who has missed the last two matches through suspension. “There are lots of players these days going off to different places during international breaks. We've seen it at Bolton with the likes of Chung-Yong Lee and Medo Kamara.

“It might be different for them but I've not been used to it over my career so I am looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, Wanderers have been seeded in the Captial One Cup first round draw, which will be made next Tuesday.

Unseeded sides they could face include short trips to Bury, Oldham Athletic, Morecambe, Accrington, Crewe or Port Vale.

Ties will be played on Tuesday, August 11.