St George’s Colts coach Drewonde Bascome is delighted his side have taken the shortest route to the Dudley Eve Trophy semi-final.

The East Enders topped group C to clinch the sole automatic semi-final spot up for grabs, much to the delight of Bascome.

“It feels good to finish the group on top and to reach the semi-finals,” he told The Royal Gazette. “We now just have to stay focused with one more game to get to the final.”

St George’s squandered a three-goal cushion in a 4-4 draw with X-Roads in their first game before edging Devonshire Colts 2-1 in their final group fixture.

Their name will now go into the hat for the semi-final draw on Monday, with Bascome looking forward to finding out his team’s next opponents.

“I am excited about the draw and we are prepared for whoever we get,” he said. “We are not ducking any team and are well prepared for whoever we play next, so it’s going to be interesting.”

Bascome has observed a significant improvement in his team but emphasised there is still room for growth with the start of the league campaign looming.

“I have seen a big improvement and we are more of a team this season,” he said. “The camaraderie is better and everybody is willing to work for one another. It’s a good team harmony and a big improvement from last season.

“However, you haven’t seen the best of this team yet and there’s a lot to come. We have a few signings for November and it will be interesting.”

Devonshire Cougars are the only other team to have qualified for the semi-finals. Cougars topped group B after coming from behind to earn a 2-2 draw against PHC Zebras before thrashing Young Men’s Social Club 5-0 in their two group fixtures.

Coach Mark Smith is happy to see his team among the last four in the competition.

“It’s a good start to the season and we are just happy to be in Monday’s draw as it’s been a long time,” he said. “We are taking it one game at a time and one training session at a time.”

The third semi-finalists will be determined at PHC Field on Saturday night, when unbeaten group A leaders Dandy Town face promoted Boulevard (6pm) and Premier Division champions North Village take on last year’s runner-up Paget Lions (8pm). The best runner-up in the three groups will secure the remaining semi-final spot on offer.