Somerset Eagles and Robin Hood are bracing themselves for a tough First Division Shield final at Wellington Oval on New Year’s Day.

After exiting the competition at the semi-final stage in the past two seasons following defeats to eventual winners St David’s and Boulevard on each occasion, Eagles finally broke their hoodoo.

Rushaine Murphy netted all three goals to guide Troy Smith’s side to the final with a come-from-behind 3-1 triumph over Wolves at Somerset Cricket Club on Saturday.

“We at Somerset Eagles embrace the moment of making it to the finals,” Smith told The Royal Gazette.

“The team focus this season was to improve from our last two seasons, as we made the semi-finals and lost on both occasions.

“We are grateful for the progress we have made so far and strive to build off our progress.

“With local football in Bermuda it’s about who wants it the most, so we are striving to put our best foot forward on New Year’s Day.

“We are striving for a total team effort on the day. We have been consistently training throughout the season with good training habits and these should show in the final.”

Hood, who defeated Somerset Trojans 4-1 on penalties thanks to Bermuda under-17 goalkeeper Curtis Jackson’s two saves in the shoot-out, are anticipating another difficult encounter.

Sergio Goater, the Hood coach, is not reading much into the previous meeting between the two sides in the league last month at PHC Field, which ended 3-1 in his team’s favour.

With Hood chasing promotion to the Premier Division, Goater has cautioned his players against underestimating their opponents.

“I’m expecting a very tough match,” Goater said.

“This is a final so it’s one shot, which we have to make sure we get right. But my players will be up for it and we just have to avoid complacency.

“Because we beat them before, that doesn’t really matter because it’s a whole other game. Mentally I’ve got my players focused and we’re looking forward to lifting the trophy.”