Dandy Town and Boulevard will both be gunning for an automatic berth in the Dudley Eve final when the two clubs renew acquaintances at Wellington Oval on Boxing Day.

According to the rules of the double-elimination festive tournament, the winners of Friday's match will advance to the New Year's Day spectacle at St. David's while the losers will have to play at least one more game to get chance to lift the title.

The two sides did battle just over a week ago in an exciting game that saw Boulevard surrender an early 2-0 lead and lose 4-2, relinquishing both their unbeaten league record along with top spot in the table.

Those three points for the St. John's club allowed them to get into the Christmas tournament and a shot at starting the New Year with some new silverware.

Damon Ming has been an influential figure in coach Meshach Wade's line-up, showing in his side's 2-0 win in their opening Dudley Eve match that he is as good as any player on the Island when on song.

Cougars quickly found out how tricky the diminutive striker can be as Ming tortured them with his intelligent runs. It was his 65th minute goal that got his side off and running.

Yet the pacy winger is quick to take the focus away from himself, noting that the focus should be on his team-mates and the college students who have returned to make their mark while on vacation.

"The college players played well for their first game back against Cougars and will be ready to make an impact again on Boxing Day," said Ming.

"They have quality as a few of them have played for the national team and bring experience to the side, so they will be vital in how the game goes.

"The tournament is a time to let your younger players get a chance to shine so it will be an exciting match.

"It will be a tightly contested match with both sides looking to impose themselves.

"Both sides have good quality amongst their ranks and play as a unit."

With both teams having beaten the two other Dudley Eve teams, Cougars and PHC Zebras, the Boxing Day winners will automatically progress to the New Year's Day final, while the losers will have to take on the winners of Sunday's match between Cougars and Zebras.

After being out of domestic football for almost a decade, Ming has become a vital cog in the Hornets' wheel and could very well be the difference between the two sides, already having made his mark against the same opposition eight days' ago.

However, he isn't about to get ahead of himself, reckoning he still has more to show to both his colleagues and the Dandy Town fans.

"I just take every game as it comes. I go into every game thinking the same thing – that I'm going to do my part in order for my team to win.

"So far I have been doing fairly well.

"I have just come back into the team, my fitness is getting back to where it should be and I am playing well.

"In the first two games I was a bit off the pace, but with Blazers and Cougars I felt good and put in the work off the field.

"Hopefully on Friday I can produce another solid performance and the team make the finals with a win."