BOULEVARD coach John Rebello concedes Somerset will be the form team going into Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final clash . . . but the up-and-down nature of the season leaves him encouraged that a trophy could still be there for the Blazers to win. Despite the Trojans and Devonshire Cougars winning two trophies, no team has been dominant like North Village were last season. Everybody has been beating everybody, and for that reason the Boulevard coach gets the feeling that there could still be another twist to the season before the FA Cup is settled.

Boulevard and Somerset were first and second in the league at the halfway stage of the season as the Blazers held a six-point lead. However, both faltered and neither were in the running when the league was settled in the final match between Cougars and North Village.

Boulevard recovered sufficiently to reach the semi-finals of the Friendship (losing to Somerset) and now the semi-finals of the FA when they will meet the Trojans yet again.

“It’s the end of the season and we’re just trying to get guys motivated to finish off on the right foot,” said Rebello this week. He admits winning the FA Cup would put the shine on what has been a disappointing season for the Blazers.

“There are two ways of looking at it — from last year to what was accomplished this year,” he says. “It’s been in leaps and bounds from last year. With the morale of the players and the youngsters coming through, I think programme is alive down there and I think a dynasty is ready to be built down there.

“On the flip side no one expected us to be where we were (this season) but when you reach the heights that we reached and were able to compete the way we competed you’ve got to walk away with something. We were in everything through the whole season, besides the Martonmere. We were right in there with the Dudley Eve, right in there with the league for the last three weeks before we let it slip away from us. In the semi-finals of the Friendship we were knocked out by Somerset and now are in the semi-finals of the FA.”He added: “Compared to last year we have improved and I think there are bigger and better things to come out of the club for seasons to come. But you never know what next season holds. We were so close to winning the league, but next season we could start with injuries, suspensions and a bad start and could be out of the running from the beginning. Destiny was in our hands and we let it slip away.”

Rebello watched Somerset win the Friendship Trophy last weekend with a surprisingly comfortable 4-0 win over the league champions Devonshire Cougars who also lost to the Trojans in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

“They are the form team and that was their third game on the trot while we haven’t played once,” Rebello stressed.

“Their fitness, touch, everything is going to be there and they will definitely have the momentum going after a resounding victory on Sunday. They went up there and showed their class and I’m sure their spirits are high and right now I’m sure they feel they are untouchable as any team in that position would feel.”

With Somerset gunning for a third trophy — the first time they would have achieved that in a long time — Boulevard can expect a tough match at Southampton Oval (2.30) on Sunday. Even getting past Somerset won’t guarantee Boulevard the trophy as Rebello expects a tough final against one of the First Division teams, Devonshire Colts or St. George’s Colts.

“The fans at Somerset have been hungry for success and Dennis (Brown) has delivered,” said Rebello.

“I have a lot of respect for Dennis and Paul Scope and they have done a fabulous job up there — an outstanding job actually. Once we got past PHC and knew who was in the draw, everyone at the club just felt, the way things have been all year and all the games we have met Somerset, that we probably would get Somerset. We have played them something like six times.

“To be honest with you, at this point it doesn’t matter. St. George’s Colts are not going to play the way they have played in the league, this is a one shot. You didn’t expected North Village to lose to St. George’s. Sometimes you would rather play the harder teams — you never know what to expect from the smaller teams.

“Even in the league it wasn’t the big teams but against the smaller teams that we dropped points. You never know what to expect from these teams. We thrashed Paget in the first game of the season and then were held 1-1 at BAA. We were camped in Paget’s half but couldn’t score. It took a miracle goal from us to get the equaliser.”

The FA beckons but Rebello knows it will not be easy to win local football’s major knockout cup.

“If we knuckle down and stick to our game plan we’ve got a great chance of winning the game,” he said.

“We have shown all season we haven’t been blown out of the water by Somerset and I think both teams — in every game we have played — have played in spurts and had a piece of the game. At the end of the day it is the team that wants it the most that will come up there and run for 90 minutes and will get the victory.

“Playing on a small field doesn’t allow the teams to really show their football, it is going to be congested and more tactical than anything else. Again, winning on Sunday doesn’t automatically give you the FA Cup — Devonshire Colts or St. George’s are coming up there to win. It’s not a given that if you win on Sunday you win the FA.”

Sunday’s action will begin at 12.30 with the women’s FA Cup semi-final between Dandy Stars and Lady (St. George’s) Colts.

Boulevard want to end the season on a high note