The warning has been posted . . . Somerset Trojans beware!

Producing arguably their best display of football so far this season, Dandy Town Hornets tuned up for Friday?s Martonmere Cup final with Trojans at the National Sports Centre by running PHC Zebras into the ground at the Barn on Sunday.

Firing on all cylinders, and outclassing the opposition in every department, Hornets emphatically ran out 4-1 victors over a Zebras side reduced to playing with nine men following the second-half sending off of team captain Blenn Bean and striker Raynel (Manga) Lightbourne.

?Our confidence has certainly soared to another level. Not just with the result but also on the specifics of things we?ve been working on in training and trying to execute in the match,? Hornets? assistant coach Scott Morton told .

Morton will be at the helm for Friday?s commitment on the ?carpet? in the absence of head coach Devarr Boyles.

The former North Village coach found himself on the losing end of the 2001 Martonmere Cup final during a highly successful stint when he won back-to-back Premier Division league and FA Cup doubles in 2001-02 and 2002-03 before quietly slipping out the back door.

But after sitting out last season, the long-time Pembroke resident is back and destined for another cup final only weeks into his new role at St.John?s Field.

Morton continued: ?We definitely took pride in that victory and our team is very resilient in terms of finding ways to get the job done.?

One thing the coach always stresses to his players is to be ?methodical? in their overall approach to the game.

?We need to control the tempo of the match,? he added, ?play fast or slow when the need arises or even short or long to always keep our opponents guessing.?

Not only were Zebras kept guessing on Sunday, they also seemed to lose their cool.

?I think they lacked discipline. It?s goals that win matches and so you can?t allow the referee?s decision to effect what you are trying to achieve on the pitch,? added Morton.

?But I wasn?t surprised by the outcome because we have been creating chances but not converting them. I have a lot of belief in the players who I think have been taking in the instructions lately as a team. It was a complete team effort.

?They were given specific instructions what to do when and when not in possession of the ball and they stuck to the task for the most part. And overall I think we?re beginning to come together as a unit, creating opportunities and capitalising on our chances.?

In addition to this Friday?s final, Hornets also have an eye on qualifying for the Dudley Eve Trophy involving the top four Premier Division clubs over the Christmas break.

Town will now look to defending league champions Devonshire Cougars to do them a favour by way of defeating PHC Zebras on November 18 in order to keep their own Dudley Eve hopes alive. A Cougars win would mathematically put an end to Zebras hopes and see Town safely into the festive competition.

Hornets will then face Boulevard in the first round of the FA Cup on November 27 at the Barn before closing out the first half of the league season against Cougars on December 2 at the Den.

As for Friday?s cup final against Trojans, Morton stated: ?We intend to carry on working on some of the things we?ve been working on in training all along. We believe in a gradual building process and methodical approach towards everything we do.

?Our players just need to remain mentally strong and keep believing in themselves as we the coaches believe in them. We always prepare ourselves as best we can for many scenarios that can arise on the day.?