Devonshire Cougars’ Dudley Eve Trophy defence is back on track.

Cougars pipped group B rivals Boulevard Blazers for the remaining spot in the semi-finals on goal difference after Boulevard’s 3-0 defeat by PHC Zebras at Police Field on Sunday.

It is the second straight year that Cougars have scraped through to the last four on goal difference.

Omar Butterfield, the Cougars coach, said reaching the semi-finals has given his team “purpose about ourselves again”.

Butterfield added: “I think this will inspire the guys and to be honest I have been looking for that inspiration because trying to motivate them has been kind of hard this year being that they did so good last year.

“So it’s a good tool for motivation to get them ready and the morale is getting better in the camp.”

Cougars teetered on the brink of elimination after being held to a draw by Boulevard and losing to the Zebras in their group matches.

They will meet North Village, the group A winners, in the second match of a Dudley Eve Trophy semi-finals double-header at a venue yet to be confirmed on November 2.

“We are not really worried about Village,” Butterfield said. “If we deal with ourselves properly our opponents won’t be a factor to us.

“That’s how I look at every game; we don’t worry about the opponent. As long as we are focused on ourselves and doing what we have to do the other teams should not be an issue.”

Butterfield believes the date for his team’s semi-final with Village benefits his team.

“I think it’s a plus having the semi-final so far away because we were a little behind in our preparations,” he said. “But this gives us more time to be ready for it and put on a better show.”

PHC, the group B winners, meet group A runners-up Robin Hood in the other semi-final.