Kori Goddard's dismissal on Sunday against North Village could come back to haunt Devonshire Cougars next week.

Goddard was sent packing in the 57th minute during Cougars' 1-0 win over the reds at Bernard Park following a hard tackle on Kimandi Binns.

Now the hard-working forward will have to sit out next week's crucial Martonmere Cup semi-final clash against Boulevard because his club will not see any action this weekend.

The rescheduled match between Village and Boulevard will be the only Premier Division fixture taking place this weekend, thus, denying Goddard the opportunity to serve out an automatic one-game suspension.

Still, Cougars coach Albert Smith is confident his team will be able to cope in the player's absence.

"I wouldn't label Goddard's suspension as a setback, though we would have liked to have had him in the team because he has been playing so well," he said.

Last season Goddard was at the core of Cougars' FA Cup semi-final debacle.

Cougars won their match against First Division minnows Prospect convincingly, however, the club were later forced to forfeit their place in the final of the prestigious competition after it was discovered Goddard was supposed to sit out the match through suspension instead of playing.

Meanwhile, on a separate matter, Smith admitted striker Heys Wolf's injury was more serious then what was previously believed. Wolfe suffered a foot injury and is expected to be out, according to the coach, for another two weeks.

"I talked with him (Wolfe) recently and he told me that the doctor said he may be able to play in another week or so," Smith added.

Smith is also pleased to see captain Kwame Steede step up to the plate. Steede has scored in all of Cougars' last three matches.

"He's the skipper and so he is presently playing a true skipper's role."

As for next week's highly anticipated showdown against his former club, Smith is bracing himself for what he described will be an all-out "dogfight".

Blazers have thus far only tasted defeat once, a 3-2 Martonmere Cup loss against Village while Cougars presently boast a record of 3-1 in all competitions.

Cougars have also fast regained their scoring touch, blasting in nine goals from four matches. They have also yet to concede a league goal in two outings, perhaps indication that Ricardo Brangman is taking his game a bit more serious these days.

"Business is business," added Smith, alluding to next week's Martonmere Cup clash.

"I'm confident we will do good and overcome them. But it's going to be dogfight."

Asked was he pleased by his team's solid start to the season, Smith said: "Sometimes a coach is never satisfied".

However, he is pleased with last Sunday's inspiring 1-0 away win over Village.

"For the last few seasons, Village have been like a thorn in our sides," he said. "So it's very encouraging to get a win over the league champs, especially away from home."

The only thing bothering Smith now is consistency, something which Cougars have lacked over the past few seasons.

"I have already talked to them about consistency. One game we play really good and then we drop back down and play mediocre in the next," said Smith.

"We want to start building on previous results. A little bit of fine tuning here and there. But overall I am pleased with the team at the moment. However, there's always room for improvement."