Boulevard?s entire season rests on the Premier Division championship now after they were eliminated from yet another competition by Devonshire Cougars last night.

They would once again have been heart-broken to leave Devonshire Rec with nothing to show for 90 minutes of hard work where they matched the opposition shot for shot, tackle for tackle and in some instances had the ascendancy.

However, the bitter reality is that, in successive weeks, the Blazers have been thwarted from a semi-final berth in two knockout tournaments ? the FA Cup and now the Friendship Trophy ? by their arch-rivals.

Boulevard?s 3-1 exit last night follows their one-goal loss to Cougars in last Tuesday?s Cup quarter-final replay.

Anyone who watched the riveting football at the Den would have been hard-pressed to pick a winner as the end-to-end action gave either team almost equal scoring opportunities. Still, Cougars seized the initiative in the second half after a period in which the momentum had been with Blazers who were unlucky not to have hit the target with a number of good chances.

The half-time 1-1 deadlock was finally broken by substitute Shaki Minors? header in the 68th minute and Raymond Beach ? trying to regain the deadly form he showed a few weeks ago ? sealed Cougars? place in the final four with a clinical penalty after he was fouled in the 89th minute.

The two-goal cushion was greeted by loud cheering and even more vigorous drum-beating by Cougars? fans watching from the clubhouse balcony.

Their emotional high began in the 30th minute when striker Mark Smith stabbed home a rebound in a goal-mouth scramble that ensued from a corner kick. Prior to this, both sides had seen some disappointing efforts either go wide or be saved by the respective keepers.

Blazers pulled level in the 44th minute, compliments of their inspirational skipper Melchisedec Gibbons, who got a boot in from close range between defenders and ahead of Cougars oncoming goalie Ricardo Brangman.

The second half played out in much the same back-and-forth manner as the first with the game?s frenetic pace being maintained.

At the Cougars? end, a glancing header by Beach flew wide while Minors, who replaced Smith in the 67th minute, danced through midfield with the ball before shooting beyond the left post. Meanwhile Stanton Lewis looked to celebrate his birthday with some fireworks for Boulevard but his left-foot volley from 15 yards rocketed off the crossbar. Brangman also kept his team in the game with some timely saves and parries that proved the decisive difference.

Minors, who in partnership with Beach, Kwame Steede and Heys Wolfe was running at Blazers every chance he got, was not to be denied. When the rebound from a Beach header came to him, lurking on the left post, he capitalised and nodded the ball home to make it 2-1 in Cougars? favour.

Some sterling work by Shejuan Swan in the visiting team?s goal prevented Cougars from running away with the game as three or four consecutive shots were rifled in after Minors? strike.

Beach, closely guarded for much of the match, gained a penalty decision against Blazers defender Jahmarley Samuels and duly converted from the spot in the dying stages.

In earlier First Division Shield action, PHC overcame a troublesome St. David?s outfit 3-2, thanks to a winner five minutes from time by national team player Kevin Richards.

Zebras, who are chasing the double, were made to work harder than perhaps they expected by the Warriors. The former were 1-0 at the half after Jahnai Raynor put them ahead in the 35th minute.

St. David?s Fiqre Crockwell evened the score-line in the 67th minute only to see PHC go up 2-1 in the 76th minute through Chris Furbert Jr. The see-saw battle continued when O.J. Minors made it 2-2 for the Warriors in the 78th minute.

Richards ? home from Notre Dame on Spring Break ? had the final say when his diagonal shot clipped the left post to score in the 85th minute.

Meanwhile, Premier Division front-runners Dandy Town will be aiming to extend their lead against relegation-challenged Somerset Eagles in a make-up fixture tonight. The 9 p.m. game takes place at BAA Field.