Devonshire Cougars have no intention of pressing the panic button after what can best be described as a rollercoaster week.

A mere six days after their pulsating first-ever Martonmere Cup final victory, Cougars on Sunday suffered a 2-0 defeat in an away Premier Division game at White Hill Field against Devonshire Colts.

But player and co-coach Shawn Simmons quickly warned that no-one should be writing them off yet, advising fans of the club not to be discouraged by the latest setback.

"We mustn't be allowed to get down on ourselves, certainly nobody is about to throw in the towel after Sunday's loss," said Smith. "To be honest the loss doesn't discourage us. We didn't play badly, the loss was a disappointment but we did have a few injuries.

"I was out, Wali Salaam and Cory Goddard were missing too, but I am not using this as an excuse, we just didn't capitalise on our chances and the few chances that they did have, they made good.

"Overall our team let their concentration down against Colts. We played OK, we did most of the attacking but we just lacked finishing. Our players learned that if you miss and the other team doesn't, then you lose.

"We have no excuses for losing. We were certainly over the excitement of the Martonmere Cup, we had two good training sessions and were prepared for Sunday's game, but we didn't play to our potential and that will happen to lots of teams."

Smith said that team morale was still high, pointing out that even after the Colts' setback the team had dinner together and discussed their performance.

He urged fans not to fret, saying better days were ahead, although Smith wasn't about to make any predictions for the rest of the season.

Smith, however, makes no secret that he and his players have their sights set on making a good run at the league title, suggesting that finishing among the top four at the halfway stage and earning a place in the Dudley Eve would put them in position for a high finish at the end of the season.

"We hope to win the games as they come. If we reach the Dudley Eve that would put us in contention to make a good run at the league title but we will have to wait. At the moment I would say that the Dudley Eve is our short-term goal," he added.

"However, we know there will be obstacles in the way as the result of injuries that we may not be able to avoid. Others will just have to come in and fill the void and we will have to wait and see how much of a positive contribution they will make to the team."

Smith said he hoped Cougars' fans wouldn't come down too hard on the players, asking them to come out and give their support for Saturday night's tough clash against defending league champions Dandy Town.