The 2004-05 football season continues to be a challenging one for First Division Hamilton Parish.

Following the off-season exodus of 11 of the team's players, the Hot Peppers were slapped with a $500 fine by Bermuda Football Association for an incident which occurred last season, and then hammered 18-1 in their season-opener against Wolves ? though they were later awarded that match after it was learned their opponents had fielded an ineligible player.

The club's misfortunes would again rise to the fore during Sunday's drawn (3-3) FA Cup first round tie against X Roads at Lords which should have, but did not, go into into extra-time.

Match officials were involved in a later game at Wellington Oval between St.George's All-Stars and Southampton Rangers and decided to declare the Parish-X-Roads match a draw without playing extra-time in order that they could fulfil the later commitment.

But with X Roads having been reduced to ten men after Parish had equalised, the home team were therefore denied the opportunity of cashing in on their numerical advantage in what should have been 30 minutes of overtime.

"Our players were wondering what was going on in the beginning. But once the officials explained to them what the situation was they gradually accepted it," said Peppers coach Ernest Lathan yesterday.

"But I really don't have any gripes over the situation because this (replay) now gives us a chance to strengthen the squad," he added, alluding to the possible return to the team of top striker Irving Burgess.

Burgess, who in the past enjoyed successful playing stints at Vasco da Gama and Dandy Town, has completed a four-match suspension and could be included in coach Lathan's plans tonight when the two First Division clubs meet for the second time in 48 hours in a the cup replay at BAA Field.

Lathan is confident Peppers can finish off the job they started on Sunday.

"I think we were a little bit over confident on Sunday," he lamented. "I think we underestimated our opponents and then as the game went on finally realised X Roads were no pushovers.

"So it should be another tough match tonight but I'm confident we can get the job done. We were running at them (in the closing minutes of Sunday's match) and I felt we would have taken them in extra-time because we had all the momentum at the time."