Dandy Town find themselves in a battle for survival as the group phase of the Martonmere Cup winds up tonight at BAA Field.

The Hornets, still smarting from a midweek defeat at the hands of Group B rivals Devonshire Cougars, find themselves in a must-win situation as they tackle yet another Devonshire outfit - Colts - in the nightcap (9 p.m.).

With Cougars having already secured one of the two available places up for grabs in each of the two groups, Town, floundering at the bottom of the standings, trailing second placed Colts by a point, must win or find themselves on the outside looking in.

Colts, meanwhile, enter with the knowledge that a draw will secure passage through to the knockout phase, but would want to go a step further to boost morale while also exacting revenge on a Town outfit that defeated them in the season opening Charity Cup.

Colts were not particularly sharp in their last match, an uninspiring 1-1 draw with Cougars, and coach Ray Jones will want to find ways to light a fire under his troops in order that they might fare better.

Coaching counterpart Andrew Bascome must be somewhat concerned with the lack of cohesion among his troops early on, however it is known that Bascome has never put much weight into performances in the Martonmere, preferring to have his team save their best for the long league season.

Tonight's opening clash stands as a battle merely for position, with both Wolves and North Village having already qualified for the next round on the basis of victories over hard luck PHC.

A win or draw will give Village the top seeding going into the knockout phase as they have a better goal average, but it will likely matter to neither what their ranking as it will their taking another step to building cohesion for the long haul.

Still, there may be some added incentive for the players involved, with overseas indoor professional David Bascome in the Island on a combined scouting mission and vacation ahead of the opening of training camp with the Harrisburg Heat.

Bascome recently took over as assistant coach to Richard Chinapoo, and is on the lookout for potential recruits for the Pennsylvania based MISL outfit.