Dandy Town coach Jarreau Hayward has a selection headache in advance of the Friendship Trophy semi-final showdown with Devonshire Cougars at Somerset Cricket Club on Boxing Day (2pm).

With nine overseas-based players potentially available for the encounter, Hayward and his technical staff have tough choices to make as Lazai Outerbridge, Jaiden Manders, Jekai Eve, Hayden Dill, Jahzii Johnson, Adrian Trott, Aaron Estravit, Kennahz Fray and Tajahri Rogers could feature on Friday.

“We have some college students back and that will help us in as far as giving our local players a much-needed break,” Hayward told The Royal Gazette.

“Their presence increases equality and competition as well. Dandy Town’s youth set-up has obviously borne a lot of fruit, so we’re looking forward to a tough decision on who to pick in the 18.”

Fray is home for the festive break after impressing at Future Pro Academy in England. The 17-year-old went for trials at Sky Bet Championship side Blackburn Rovers, where he got a second invite and will return in the new year.

Hayward has expressed his eagerness to retain the Friendship Trophy and he was Kyle Lightbourne’s assistant when Town defeated PHC 3-1 in the final at Somerset Cricket Club this year.

“It’s the first trophy that I won with Dandy Town, so we definitely want to retain it,” the Town coach said.

“Big up to Kyle Lightbourne forhis contribution last season and helping us to get a trophy. It was our only trophy so we’re taking it very seriously because it’s a great competition.

“The coaching staff is focused and the players have a dream and part of it is to retain the Friendship Trophy. I really love to see the competition among each other and they are keeping standards as high as possible.

“The four teams that are left deserve to be in it, so may the best team win. All teams have their own qualities and strengths, so it’s just a matter of us enforcing our game, adapting where we need to adapt and showing up on the day.”

Cougars beat Town 2-1 in a Premier Division encounter at White Hill Field last month in one of the two defeats suffered by the Hornets this season, with the other coming at the hands of North Village.

“I thought we were below par in that match when we lost to Cougars,” Hayward said.

“It is up to the players to show up and bring their A-game. We just need to be better so, hopefully everything we've been working on shows in the game on Friday.”

With the final being played at Wellington Oval, Hayward could enjoy a lot of support from the community of St George’s, who he guided to FA Cup success in 2024, but the coach is not looking that far ahead.

“I’m not even thinking about the final at this moment, it’s strictly Cougars,” Hayward said.

“We have a very tough match against Cougars that we have to overcome first up at Somerset. The process between now and then is what we’re focused on.”

Cougars have to do without striker Chae Brangman, who is off island until the end of the month. Brangman scored a brace in the league triumph, with coach Mark Mills stressing the team’s strength comes from pulling together as a collective.

“He’s a big personality on and off the pitch,” Mills said. “But our strength is in the group as we’ve had to deal with injuries and commitments outside of football all season. We have a few more players unavailable due to injury and sickness.”

Before Town and Cougars meet, Somerset Eagles and Wolves clash in the First Division Shield semi-final (noon).

Eagles defeated Southampton Rangers 1-0 in the quarter-finals, with their semi-final opponents getting the benefit of a bye. Troy Smith, the Eagles coach, is challenging his players to keep getting better.

“We’re just trying to take it one match at a time and striving to improve on a weekly basis,” Smith said.

“This all starts with our training habits. Last time we played Wolves we drew 1-1 and they are a good team, so we have to put in 110 per cent effort to enjoy the game and have a good performance on game day.”

While they are one of the most successful teams in the competition with 11 titles, North Village have not won the Friendship Trophy since the 2011-12 season.

Shaun Goater was the last Village coach to secure the trophy for the Pembroke-based club, with the 4-0 victory over Somerset Trojans in January 2012 the third straight time the Rams won the competition.

Calvin Dill Jr, who picked up the league and FA Cup last season, is trying to bring an end to that dry spell. and Village face Devonshire Colts in the semi-finals at PHC Field on Saturday night (9pm).

“We know we haven't won the Friendship for a while,” Dill said.

“We want to win every time we go on the field. If the hard work pays off, we hope we can put on a good challenge for the Friendship and we can raise it on New Year’s Day.”

Prior to the Premier Division rivals meeting, Somerset Trojans will do battle with fellow promotion contenders Robin Hood clash in the Shield semi-finals (7pm).

Sergio Goater, the Hood coach, predicted a difficult encounter against Danvers Seymour Jr’s side.

“It’s going to be a tough game,” he said. “We’re up for it, the guys are training hard and we’ll be ready for it on Saturday.”