Facing one of their toughest matches of the season ? Sunday?s FA Cup semi-final clash against Dandy Town ? Somerset Trojans find themselves in a precarious position.

Trojans? bid to become the first First Division club to hoist the coveted trophy has suffered a major setback even before a ball has been kicked, as suspensions to several key players couldn?t have come at a worse time for club who, while in the top flight, won the cup nine times.

Striker Dwight Basden has been ruled out of Sunday?s contest after accumulating three yellow cards while strike partner Damon Swan is serving out a four-match suspension for his part in a February 8 on-field fracas against Ireland Rangers.

Former national youth team player Shawn Riley will begin serving a one-match ban after being sent off in Trojans? 3-1 defeat of PHC in the previous round while veteran player Richard Scott is also out through suspension.

Scott received a three-match ban for bringing the game into disrepute, although Somerset Cricket Club have appealed against the Bermuda Football Association ruling, and at press time last night it remained unclear whether or not the player would be eligible to play.

Adding to their suspension woes, Trojans have not taken to the pitch since their home defeat of Zebras in the FA Cup quarter-finals on February 22.

?Dandy Town will definitely have an advantage on Sunday given the fact they have played four games in three weeks and we have been inactive since that period,? noted Trojans? coach Dennis Brown.

?We have not played a match since February 22 and in a way it is good to give your players a rest but then you also need to be active as well for the sake of being sharp. We have been training but training doesn?t add up to the intensity of a match.?

Still Brown remains cautiously optimistic ahead of Sunday?s clash.

?I think it is unfortunate that we haven?t had a match to allow us to play at full-strength but we will just have to go with the punches.

?I don?t like to dwell on negative aspects but we will have to work with the players we have available and just make sure they are on the same page as everyone else. They are expected to come in and do a job.

?We will keep our confidence level in house and the guys will be expected to go out there and adhere to the game plan.?

The senior national team assistant coach and former Trojan and Bermuda captain isn?t bothered by the fact that his team enter Sunday?s clash as rank underdogs.

In fact, Brown is quite comfortable wearing that tag.

?There is no pressure on us. We were not expected to be in the competition at this stage. But now that we find ourselves in this position we are going to be very competitive. The pressure is on Dandy Town because they are leading the Premier Division and are in line for the triple crown (league, Friendship Trophy and FA Cup),? he added.

And although the cards may be heavily stacked against Trojans, the spacious Wellington Oval could play into the hands of the West Enders, noted Brown.

?I think we have played our best matches on bigger pitches,? he said with a smile.

?On the bigger surfaces the team has played the way I like them to play. The more space we have available . . . the better we have looked this season.?