Premier Division Boulevard, following a succession of disappointments, can end the 2006-07 football season on a high this Sunday when they lock horns with First Division Devonshire Colts in the FA Cup final at the National Sports Centre.

Winners four times in the past, the Blazers are poised to make their fifth overall appearance in the prestigious season-ending final — but their first since 1997.

The Pembroke club positioned themselves to win a first Premier Division championship in 12 years during the league campaign, before faltering down the stretch. And they also reached the semi finals of the Dudley Eve and Friendship Trophy competitions.

But with victory over Colts on the ‘carpet’ on Sunday, they can finally make a major breakthrough and give their loyal supporters something to cheer about.

Coach John Rebello, however, has warned his charges not to take history-seeking Colts lightly. Having already sewn up the First Division league and Shield ‘double’, Colts are gunning to become the first First Division outfit to win the FA Cup and achieve an unprecedented cup treble at Blazers’ expense.

And Rebello’s wary of the threat.

“Our players don’t want to be on the wrong end of history, and so they are confident they can go up there (National Sports Centre) and win the game,” he said yesterday.

“The expectations to win are on us and so we can’t come out on the wrong end of history. Our aim is to go there and perform to our best because at the end of the day Colts really have nothing to lose.

“If they lose then I think deep down everybody would have expected that. But if they win, then they will make history and so there’s really no pressure on them.”

So far Rebello said team preparations for the David versus Goliath clash had gone according to the script.

“Preparations have been going along fine and everyone has attended training. We had a very hard match against Somerset (FA Cup semi-final). But the players have recovered from any slight injuries, morale is high in the camp and we are all looking forward to the match,” he added.

“We realise what is at stake and there’s really no added pressure on us. We definitely feel that we are talented and skilful enough to do the job, but this is a one-off game and anything can happen on the day.

“But the players are very excited because it’s been ten years since the club have made it to a major cup final. And they have every right to be because it’s not easy getting there.”

Rebello is largely credited for raising Blazers from the ashes after they had plummeted during the post-Andrew Bascome era which saw the latter coach the Pembroke club to multiple league and cup honours during the 1990s.

A win over Colts might be the perfect way to reward the former Vasco coach who also won league and cup titles at the Portuguese club, including the coveted triple crown in 1998.

“It would be nice to win a major trophy with Boulevard just to get the Vasco stigma off my back,” Rebello said. “I would love to come away victorious to finally get that monkey off my back.

“The players know what’s at stake, everybody has been working hard in training and we are ready for Sunday.”