Well aware of the enormity of the task at hand, Dandy Town coach Devarr Boyles reckons his team have a point to prove ? that Hornets can hold their own against top class opposition.

Last year when Town were given the chance to take on Barbados, Boyles said his charges took far too long to settle and failed to take advantage of a generous cross-wind which ultimately came back to haunt them in a lopsided 4-0 defeat.

Now the coach hopes lessons have been learned as the Hornets prepare to meet visiting Santos at Somerset Cricket Club this evening.

Santos defeated Bermuda 3-0 on Sunday at the National Sports Centre and will look for similar success against the current Premier Division and FA Cup champions.

But Town are determined not to be overpowered.

?We are definitely taking this match very seriously because it?s a one-off and perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity for our players,? said a cautiously optimistic Boyles.

?We want to put players out there who are going to be successful because we at Town always look to win. And that is based on what we do in training with the ultimate aim to win games.?

Boyles watched from the bleachers as Santos picked apart a brave Bermuda side two days ago and was impressed by what he saw.

?Santos are a very good team. They pass the ball around well and cause a lot of problems for teams with their running off the ball,? he noted.

And if there?s one thing that bothers the coach most, then it?s the fact that Santos might not have been at their best during the opening match.

?The scary thing is that they probably showed a bit of rust on Sunday and they will be a bit more acclimatised when they play us and perhaps even play a bit better,? Boyles added.

Still, the soft-spoken Hornets coach remains focused on improving upon last year?s performance against Barbados.

?We just want to avoid being as naive as we were when we played against Barbados,? he said. ?The goals we conceded early in the game kind of let us down and we also didn?t use the windy conditions up at the stadium on that particular day to our advantage.

?When we had the wind at our backs we didn?t take advantage of it and it took us too long in the second half to figure out which side to build on. So those things we look to improve upon as far as being naive on the international stage.?

Boyles hopes playing on a pitch not as well manicured as that at the NSC will work in his team?s favour.

?The playing surface at Somerset is not as great as the National Sports Centre ? although it is a good one,? he added. ?And although the lighting is good . . . it?s not great and so hopefully the Brazilians can?t see up there, which will help make our job easier.

?But hopefully we can attack and defend well and allow the rest to take care of itself.?

From in-form striker Carlos Smith, hard-working midfielder Lionel Furbert and speed merchant Khano Smith ? three players who saw action against the Brazilians on Sunday ? Boyles expects some great things. Another Town player, Otis Steede, was a part of Bermuda?s World Cup qualifying campaign last year, while full back Chris Anderson made a cameo appearance during the initial World Cup warm-up phase.

?Those three players (Khano and Carlos Smith and Furbert) will certainly influence the rest of the team and Carlos Smith will have a major say in the match,? said Boyles. ?But we understand what it takes to win matches and some of the players ? having been exposed to international football under Kenny (Thompson) and Kyle (Lightbourne) ? know what?s required and it is those players who will have a major influence on the team and have a big say on the pitch.?