With only 180 minutes of football under their belts, Devonshire Cougars have already issued a stern warning to their Premier rivals.

Despite the fact that several key players are currently missing, including the explosive front pair of Raymond Beach and Heys Wolfe ? arguably the league?s most potent partnership ? Cougars are firing on all cylinders and giving indication they will again be among the top teams to beat this season.

In two Martonmere Cup appearances so far the big cats have banged in seven goals and appear more settled both in defence and going forward in attack.

After thumping Somerset Eagles 4-1 last Friday night at BAA Field, Cougars clinched Group B honours on Tuesday night to storm into the semi-finals of the pre-season tournament with a 3-0 win over Southampton Rangers at the same venue.

And while coach Andrew Bascome is pleased with his team?s ability to score, the former North Village and Bermuda midfield schemer noted there were still a few areas which needed to be addressed ? particularly in defence.

?I think our biggest problem remains in defence,? pointed out Bascome.

?We have to keep operating as a unit at the back and when we attack we have to make sure we cover attacking areas to make it harder for teams to penetrate.

?Cougars have always had a problem going forward and not covering the attacking areas behind the ball. Every time the ball was lost teams were able to expose our defence and that caused lots of problems. But what I?m working on now is team defence work because we do have the right personnel.

?But it?s important that we move collectively as a group and that?s where we are now putting more emphasis. And if we can improve in this area then that will provide our creative players with a more solid base to go ahead and be creative. But how well we cover in defence is going to be the key.?

In addition to Wolfe and Beach? currently serving out suspension ? Cougars are also without the services of midfielders Domico Coddington and Mark Smith along with new acquisition Jamel Simmons.

Still, Cougars have not missed a beat as midfielder and team captain Kwame Steede and Kori Goddard seem to have stepped up their game while new arrival Aljame Zuill appears to have picked up the slack in attack, uncharacteristically running from deep.

?Aljame is doing pretty good for us at the moment. I think his maturity and ability to play one touch football has allowed us to release our skipper (Steede) and it seems to suit him as you might have seen in the last few games,? added Bascome.

?But of course we would like to have a bit more variation up front. But the talent has always been out at the Den and the natural desire to play attacking football. It?s just a matter for us as coaches to come up with the right formation that suits the team. And that?s what I?m trying to instil right now because whenever you lose two players of their (Wolfe and Beach) calibre then you?re talking about 25 or 30 goals being taken away right off the top. But the players are working hard to fill that void.?

However, the good news currently buzzing around the Den is that Coddington, Smith and Simmons are all due back within the next two weeks while the fate of strikers Wolfe and Beach still remains in the hands of a Ministry of Youth and Sports Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) arbitration panel.

Cougars are now set to take on the runners-up of Group A in the Martonmere Cup semi-finals next month at a venue yet to be determined.

While many feel Bascome?s arrival at the Den could prove to be the missing piece in the jigsaw, allowing Cougars to end a string of defeats in cup finals, the coach quickly pointed out he intended to take things all in his stride.

?We just want to concentrate on each game and play consistently well and keep our heads in every match,? he added.

As to the prospect of yet another exciting Dandy Town versus Cougars cup final, Bascome said: ?It?s definitely something I?m looking forward to with the utmost respect. But we at Cougars must remember that we are not champions yet.

?I?m very pleased with the team so far and even more pleased by their commitment to training because that allows me to work more with them.?

Town defeated Cougars 2-1 in last April?s FA Cup final replay at the National Sports Centre in Bascome?s first official game at the helm of the Devonshire club.

But Bascome said he didn?t hold any grudges against his former club.

?I am not bitter because I was able to take over a group of young players and I thought I we played against a good Dandy Town team,? he said. ?We tried a few things differently and I thought we competed better ? especially in the second match (replay).?

Cougars also finished runners-up in the Premier Division, Martonmere and FA Cup competitions last season and appeared in the Friendship Trophy semi-finals.