Dandy Town will finally have the chance to exorcise the ghosts of last season's demoralising 3-0 FA Cup final loss to North Village when the two urban giants meet in tomorrow's FA Cup quarter-final clash at St.John's Field.

Throwing cold water on departing Town coach Andrew Bascome's farewell match, Village easily swept aside their cross-town rivals during last year's final at the National Sports Centre on the way to hoisting an impressive league and FA Cup double.

But all of that could become a distant memory as Town bid to move within a game of a second successive appearance in the final of the competition they last won during the 1986/87 season - the only occasion in the club's history. Since then Town have appeared in four FA Cup finals but have failed on each attempt to deliver the goods.

Village on the other hand have featured in the last three finals and are currently challenging for a fourth consecutive appearance. In all, Village have lifted one of local soccer's most coveted prizes six times and twice in the last three years.

Experiencing last year's FA Cup final defeat as a player, Town's first year coach Devarr Boyles is seeking brighter pastures as a coach. And the Town stalwart also is not too bothered by last Wednesday's 3-1 league defeat to Devonshire Colts.

"I'd rather be in this position than that of some of the more experienced coaches in the league as it relates to the relegation picture," he said. "It is a big match for us in the sense that we are playing against the league and FA Cup champions and this year they (Village) have had the better of us. That is definitely the challenge - whether we can bridge the gap between the time the two teams last met."

The coach is also pinning his hopes for success on home field advantage - though at times this season his team have failed to make the most of playing on familiar terrain.

"At home we should have the advantage but looking at our results as far as the league this year, they have been mixed," he said. "I believe we have a .500 percentage. With that in mind, we are looking to improve our winning percentage at home."

Once again, Town will rest their hopes on key striker Carlos Smith - the sole survivor from the club's 1986/87 FA Cup winning team - and the opportunistic Janeiro Tucker up front.

Much will also be expected of veteran midfielder Reggie Tucker while skipper Lionel Furbert and Co. will have to quickly sort matters out at the back after a lacklustre performance against Colts if they are to keep Village's potent attack at bay.

If need be, Boyles can also enter the fray, while it also remains to be seen whether or not midfielder Brendan O'Riordan - absent on Wednesday night - will return to the fold.

Village and Town will also go toe to toe next weekend in a match from which the defending league champions only need a single point to break open the champagne and bask in the glory of back to back league titles.

Elsewhere tomorrow, Somerset Eagles return to the scene of the crime, Somerset Cricket Club and the Trojans, where they will bid for a second successive FA Cup semi-final berth.

Only last weekend Eagles recorded a slim 1-0 win over their western counterparts to complete a season's sweep of league derbies, but Marc Bean's team may find the going a bit tougher this time around, coming up against a Trojan team who will rest their proud FA Cup winning tradition on the line.

At Devonshire Recreation Club, Premier Division title contenders Devonshire Cougars should not encounter too much difficulty against sole surviving Commercial Division side Key West Rangers. But then again nobody anticipated Albert Smith's charges would be ambushed by Boulevard Blazers in the league last Friday night.

Also with an eye on a first FA Cup semi-final appearance since 1984 are Southampton Rangers who tackle fellow First Division rivals Prospect at Southampton Oval in an all-First Division encounter.