night's Dudley Eve Trophy first round will be a blessing in disguise -- something that will motivate the team for Sunday's elimination tie against Devonshire Colts at Somerset Cricket Club (1 p.m.).

That match will be followed by Dandy against North Village at 3 p.m., with the winners guaranteed a berth in the two-leg finals on December 30 and January 1.

Boulevard skipper Dwight Warren is looking at the loss against Dandy Town in a positive manner and feels that their chances of winning remain as sound as ever.

"That game showed how we can be beaten and it could be that the result will make us even more motivated going into this big game against Devonshire Colts on Sunday,'' said Warren.

"It could be the boost we need to pick our game up on Sunday. I am not that disappointed we lost on Tuesday because I know that Boulevard can go to a much higher level.'' Although Boulevard have beaten Devonshire Colts twice already this season, Warren is not about to take victory for granted in an important tie, which will see the losers bow out of the tournament.

Boulevard won their season-opening league encounter 3-1 and then followed this up with a 3-2 triumph in the Martonmere Cup final on November 11 when Devonshire Colts gave a spirited display despite having to play with just 10 men after Jay Bean was sent off in the first half.

If Warren and his team-mates are wary of that heroic performance when Colts had the odds stacked against them, the Boulevard skipper is not saying.

The team's obvious concern going into Sunday's game is their difficulty in scoring goals as was so evident in their last two outings.

"I feel that our forwards are trying very hard even though we have not been playing our best. We are doing a lot of advancing deep into our opponent's half but we have not been taking advantage when we are within shooting range,'' said Warren, who will lead the attack with Stevie Wade and possibly Kenny Hill, if he is fully recovered from injury.

"I am among those who are at fault. What we need to do is take more shots when we are near the penalty box or within striking range. That's a problem with Bermuda soccer in general as far as I am concerned.'' Like Warren, Devonshire Colts' top scorer Ellington Weldon also feels that his team's chances of advancing are good despite coming off a 4-1 loss against North Village in the first round.

Weldon feels that his team were on the brink of closing in on their opponents on Tuesday night when they fought back to make it 2-1 early in the first half but were jolted when substitute Ricky Hill netted to restore Village's two-goal lead.

"Sunday's game should be a good one because both of us realise that we have to win in order to advance. Everybody may think that Boulevard have the edge because they have beaten us twice already this season, but if they (Boulevard) are counting on those performances to carry them through then it could work out in our favour,'' said Weldon.

The Colts skipper saw work commitments restrict his role to that of a substitute on Tuesday.

He added: "We had a lot of pressure on North Village until Ricky scored that third goal to put them two up. I did not see any of the first half, so I don't know how the team performed during that period, but I still believe that our chances against Boulevard on Sunday are as good as any.'' The clash between the first-round winners should produce a close result with North Village slightly favoured over Dandy Town.

Village had a rare four-goal blitz against Devonshire Colts but they will undoubtedly find Town's defence more formidable. Village won their lone meeting this season 1-0.

IN HARM'S WAY -- Stevie Wade and his Boulevard teammates look to fiht off elimination on Boxing Day.