North Village's failure to wrap up the Premier Division championship yesterday means there is still hope for Devonshire Cougars.

Albert Smith's men got out of jail to some extent with the points being shared between Village and PHC at Bernard Park.

Cougars failed to grab the chance to close in on the title holders on Friday night when they went down 2-1 to Boulevard but the weekend draw means they are still in with a chance.

Village are three points clear of Cougars and have a superior goal difference going into the final round of matches on March 2.

A victory or a draw for Scott Morton's team against Dandy Town at Bernard Park will ensure the title stays with Village.

Cougars, meanwhile, take on relegation candidates Somerset Trojans at Devonshire Rec. While three points are a must, Cougars must also return to the goalscoring form of a couple of matches ago if they are to wrest the trophy away from their rivals. Village are plus 14, while Cougars are plus ten.

Boulevard, currently third, can still finish runners-up should Cougars lose and they bang in the goals against Somerset Eagles at White Hill Field.

However, with two games still to play Dandy Town also still have a shot at second. Their match against Devonshire Colts was moved to Wednesday night and two wins and other results going their way could see them come away from the season with some pride.

The bottom of the table is as tight as the top with the bottom four all vying to avoid the trapdoor.

Despite a gallant performance against Village yesterday, PHC still face an uphill struggle to remain in the top flight.

Mark Wade's men secured a valuable point at Bernard Park but really needed to win the first of the two games they had remaining going into yesterday to give themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the drop.

Still marooned at the bottom of the league they will be hoping Dandy Town do them a favour in their midweek clash with Colts.

If Town pull out a victory they will set the men in orange's nerves jangling going into the final round of fixtures - the schedule pitting them against the Zebras.

A triumph for Colts at Devonshire Rec., however, will give them 16 points going into the final game. Another win and they would be safe. However, a draw would leave Trojans in reach.

A win for Mark Trott's side against Cougars will mean that PHC cannot catch them, while a draw or loss keeps things interesting especially as both teams have a goal difference of minus six.

Eagles, meanwhile, are fourth bottom on 15 points. A draw or loss against Boulevard would still leave them in a precarious position but a win would make them safe.