Change the venue, change your luck! Devonshire Cougars, in their third meeting with Dandy Town in the FA Cup in as many seasons, found it third time lucky when they shocked last year's finalists at Wellington Oval yesterday.

This match, like the previous two, was to have been played at the Rec. but last weekend's troubles there, which saw the match between Cougars and Devonshire Colts abandoned because of bottle-throwing, forced a late venue switch to the Oval.

And it worked wonders for Cougars who scored in the 19th and 50th minutes and then were left to hang on in an exciting finish after Town pulled one back in the 77th minute through top scorer Darron Simons.

"We wanted to stay positive with the adversity, having the game moved from Devonshire Rec.,'' said Cougars coach Mark Jennings who has been responsible for turning the season around since taking over from Brian Anderson in November.

"We decided we would play the game wherever they wanted to. We want to put all that stuff in the past, go on and play soccer. I thought they did well. It was kind of tough going out there and playing a team that has won the cup but we worked hard with teamwork and that's what pulled it off for us.'' Cougars, with the wind at their backs, broke the deadlock through Clevie Campbell's sixth goal of the season, as he scored through a crowded area with his thigh after getting on the end of a flighted free kick from the left side by Wali Salaam.

As expected that goal jolted Town and almost immediately Simons put a low shot straight at 'keeper Leon Place after Kris Martin did well on the left to supply the cross.

But Cougars were not about to sit on that slim lead and came desperately close to adding a second in the 24th minute when Philip Clarke showed some good skills to create an opening for himself before racing towards goal. As Cymande Davis came out Clarke poked the ball past him and then watched in agony as it grazed the outside of the post. The speed of Simons and captain Carlos Smith troubled Cougars' defence whenever they got service from midfield. They produced a smart build-up in the 33rd minute when Simons neatly side-stepped a challenge on the left from Wali Salaam before setting on a run down the flank.

His cross was met by Smith but was put just past the far post.

The outcome of the match hinged on Town's ability to combine the speed of their attack with the wind behind them in the second half. They let their intentions be known with a couple of good raids in the space of two minutes after the restart.

But the goal that would prove to be the clincher came in the 50th minute when, after forcing a couple of quick corners, Cougars scored from the second. Dale Russell flighted a ball in from the right and Dwayne (Liquid) Bean netted with a back-header at the near post.

Town almost pulled one back two minutes later when Ross Parsons' shot from 25 yards beat Place but smashed against the crossbar.

Town then forced three corners in quick time as they attacked frantically in a bid to pull themselves back into the match.

They did get on the scoresheet in the 77th minute when a ball into the middle was flicked on by Martin and Simons ran between two defenders to slot it past the 'keeper for his 15th goal of the season.

A miss six minutes from the end by Smith proved crucial as he put his shot wide of the post after getting through the middle and rounding the advancing Place.

Cougars: L.Place; M.Dill, S.Smith, D.Durrant, S.Coddington; W.Salaam, D.Russell, D.Bean (P.Simmons 74 mins), J.Salaam (B.Richardson 70 mins), P.Clarke, C.Campbell.

Town: C.Davis; D.Lewis, G.Wilson, H.Durham, W.Rudo (T.Lewis 47 mins), P.Douglas, K.Martin, R.Parsons, K.Sharrieff (P.Sampson 70 mins), C.Smith, D.Simons.

Referee: Esten Curtis.

Men of match: Dale Russell (Cougars), Ross Parsons (Dandy Town).