Prospect United warmed up for next week?s ten-day Indoor Police Soccer Tournament in Belgium with a hard-fought FA Cup first round replay win over MR Onions at BAA Field on Tuesday night.

The men in uniform took 240 minutes of football to handcuff an Onions side who should have sewn up the tie during the first encounter which ended 1-1 at Police Field on Sunday.

But with victory in the bag and their FA Cup hopes intact, Prospect?s touring entourage ? consisting of 21 members ? will be on a high as they depart for Europe tomorrow where they will rub shoulders with fellow police officers from 52 countries.

Since 1998, the Police squad have toured the US, Holland (three times) and Italy.

So what does Prospect coach Earl Basden hope to gain from such ventures overseas?

?A new and fresh confidence about ourselves,? the former St.George?s and Southampton Rangers coach explained.

?I think competing overseas exposes the players to various levels of football and overall I think the level of competition in European Indoor tournaments is very high.?

As for the gruelling cup tie with Onions, Basden noted: ?I think the fact MR Onions took us to 240 minutes gave us a sense of where we are at as far as our season is concerned. It?s not like we haven?t created chances to score. I think the ball just hasn?t been bouncing our way.

?So hopefully this tour will give us the opportunity to put some other things into perspective and return with a new feeling in our ability.

?But overall spirits in the camp are high and we are very much looking forward to the tour and representing Bermuda as we always do.?

Prospect, who haven?t won any silverware since 1975 (First Division Shield), were beaten FA Cup finalists in 2003.

The men in uniform advanced to the final after Devonshire Cougars were forced to forfeit the match for fielding an ineligible player in the semi-final.

Basden said playing the indoor version of the sport was not as simple as it might appear.

?The game is much faster and although the time isn?t as long the game is much, much faster and you must always be on your toes and ready,? he explained.

Bermuda are presently represented by two players on the US Indoor football circuit, 2004 Athlete of the Year John (Barry) Nusum and David Bascome.

?The level of the indoor game is of a high calibre,? added Basden, now in his third year as coach of the First Division club.

Offering a general assessment of the overall football programme at Prospect, Basden said: ?I do see improvement. However, as everybody knows, our team is made up of policemen who have a lot of work commitments.

?There are times when we struggle to field the same eleven.?

Prospect started last Sunday?s first cup tie with Onions with only team officials on the bench. Gradually, as the minutes ticked away, players began to show up at the ground.

?There are also times we might even struggle to field eleven players,? Basden added. ?But this is no excuse because to me a footballer, who likes to call himself a footballer, should possess the ability to play in any position on any given day.?

Bermuda Football Association have announced some changes to next week?s FA Cup first round matches.

The game involving Key West Rangers and Devonshire Colts has been switched from Southampton Oval to White Hill Field while Southampton Rangers and Prospect/Fire will now do battle at Southampton Oval.