Bermuda's footballers are confident they can build on their Boxing Day showing and upstage their Barbadian rivals tomorrow.

It will definitely be a happy New Year for one team and Kenny Thompson and his guys are determined it will be the locals who kick off 2004 in winning style.

Anticipating an "excellent performance" from the squad which lost 2-1 to Barbados last Friday, the national coach said there were lots of positives from which to launch their second attack on their Caribbean guests.

"For two-thirds of the match we were fantastic. Our overall play and possession were quite good and we defended fairly well.

"The goals that we conceded were from the throw-in, set-piece situation and we initially had difficulty dealing with that. But, another positive was our adaptation after half-time to those long throw-ins. We were able to deal with them a lot easier than in the first half.

"We went into the unknown with this group of players and their performance showed we are at a very good starting level and we expect to improve," said Thompson, rationalising his confidence on the basis of the first clash.

His main worry has been the Bermudians' dips in concentration from time to time and their ability to handle "match situations better" on the international stage.

"Barbados pressured us after the initial 20 minutes and the players didn't respond too well to that.

"It's mainly their concentration and being able to read situations on the field and make the right actions (that concerns me).

"They need to be mentally strong for the entire match. In club football there can be many lapses in concentration that go unpunished but, at this level, if we lose concentration we expect to be punished."

This, he noted, accounted for the two goals which Barbados ? thanks to Paul Lovell ? scored within five minutes late in the first half.

Given his overall satisfaction with the Island's output, Thompson will not be making any sweeping alterations to his line-up as they seek to wrest the Dudley Eve Memorial Trophy at the National Sports Centre.

"The nucleus of the team will remain the same. We will not make many changes. I was pleased with the overall performance of the starters as well as the substitutes so it's a challenge to put a starting 11 on the field."

There are no real injury woes for Bermuda, though defender Kentoine Jennings is recovering from a knock he suffered in the first match and striker John Barry Nusum was a bit sore as he had not played competitively in a while.

The latter's injection of dynamism and creativity up front when he came on at half-time in the first match has been a talking point and Thompson acknowledged it's a possibility the USA-based player could start.

"I haven't made a decision but wherever John is asked to contribute I'm sure he'll make a major impact again," said the coach, not wanting to give away his plans.

Asked if the tone of tomorrow's game will still be that of a friendly as he experiments for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers or if it would be more competitive with a cup on the line, he replied: "It's a fine balancing act between focusing on preparation for the World Cup but at the same time trying to win the Dudley Eve Trophy.

"We'll be trying to balance between our long-term goals and the immediate challenge of winning. The players were a little disappointed in the result (on Boxing Day) so they are expecting to compete a bit more this time."

Bermuda's captain and ace goalkeeper Dwayne (Streaker) Adams echoed Thompson's optimistic sentiments.

"I thought the team played well. It was our first international in a long time ? in fact the first international for this unit. Now, we have a bit more to work with and I think we'll be fine.

"I think we can implement a few more things we've been working on in training and if we're a bit more patient things will come together. I think we can give a great performance," said the 30-year old, urging Bermudians to come out and support their team.

The custodian has put memories of the second Barbados goal behind him and is looking forward to keeping the opposition out on this occasion.

"I didn't drop the ball from the catch. I dropped it while I was trying to release it quickly. It's just one of those things. It's not that there's anything to fix," explained Adams about what occurred when Lovell jumped on his mishap from point-blank range.

"It wasn't a question where they beat four or five defenders and scored a great goal. Then you have problems."

Prior to the 3 p.m. showdown, the Bermuda Football Association (BFA) will stage a President's Select versus a Vice-President's Select Old Boys' game.

BFA chief Larry Mussenden and former Bermuda international Kyle Lightbourne are among those slated to represent the President's squad in the 1 p.m. fixture.

Two $100 travel vouchers will be up for grabs for fans who can score in an empty net from the halfway line. (See Scoreboard for full line-up of teams).