Refusing to play in the Champions Cup might have been more like taking candy from a baby.

But ducking the Bermuda Regiment could prove a more formidable proposition for First Division outfit Ireland Rangers.

Rangers, who declined an offer to participate in the new festive competition for fear of losing players to injury, will now have to compete over the next two weeks minus a few players who are due to report to Warwick Camp for military duty on Sunday.

The West End club currently top the First Division standings and remain firmly on course to seize the coveted league and shield double and are also through to the FA Cup quarter-finals.

It now remains to be seen just how well Rangers cope ? at a pivotal stage of the season ? with a slightly reduced team roster over the next fortnight.

?The only thing affecting us now is the players who will be involved in the two week boot camp,? conceded Rangers assistant coach Lee Correia who insists sitting out the Champions Cup tournament has benefited his charges.

?A couple of our guys are involved with the army but we will be ready and hopefully we can get a win on Sunday to give our guys a boost of confidence.?

A win for Rangers against Wolves would also go a long way towards breaking a jinx that has plagued the club in recent seasons ? that of gunning out of the starting blocks only to run out of gas later in the race.

?Traditionally we tend to dominate the first -half of the season only to fall off the pace later down the stretch,? said Correia, who has twice seen the club falter at the last hurdle in the race for promotion.

But having now rested over the festive period, Rangers are now ready to get back to serious business, declared Correia.

?We have certainly benefited from the rest period and now we will have to see how things go as far as the guys being focussed,? he added. ?We?ve had some good training sessions in and the guys are looking ready and basically everybody is healthy.?

Again the coach is looking for 18-year-old midfielder Andre Outerbridge and team captain Sean Brangman to provide service up front from the middle of the park and the goals to continue thundering in off the boot of trusted striker Henry Santucci.

Correia also hopes to receive valuable contributions from former Somerset Trojans Jermaine Burrows and ?keeper Ricky Tucker, who also previously enjoyed a brief stint at Dandy Town.

This season has seen another former Trojan, coach Jay Simons, take over the helm with a no-nonsense approach ? an approach that Correia reckons has made a significant impact at the club.

?Overall I think the guys have matured a bit more since last season and I believe that Jay (coach Jay Simons) has instilled discipline in the team,? Correia continued. ?But I also believe Jay has got the players focussed.?

Sunday, however, will certainly prove just how focussed Rangers really are on the task at hand and how quickly they can regain any momentum in their final thrust for promotion.

?Sunday will let us know exactly where our heads are at,? added Correia. ?If we managed to get through that match with the desired result then I think we will remain on track. We feel confident as we have already defeated everybody in our division and we don?t see why we can?t replicate those results with the team we have.

?It?s all now in our hands. Our guys all come from the same neighbourhood and know one another and so that only adds to their team spirit.?

At present Rangers have secured 22 points from seven wins, one draw and a sole loss. The Dockyard club have not encountered any difficulty finding the back of the net, bagging a total of 30 goals so far this campaign, while an uncharitable defence has only allowed five against.

Rangers currently top the table by three points over second-placed Devonshire Colts ? who can move level on points with a win over Wolves tonight at the Den ? and nine points adrift of third placed St.George?s.