Two teams battling for places in the First Division next season and two others trying to avoid the drop see action tonight at Devonshire Rec. in an important double-header.

Regardless of the outcome of the opening Second Division clash between Wolves and Hamilton Parish -- presently first and second in the standings -- both teams look certain to make the jump into the First Division next season.

Wolves missed out on promotion last season when Hotels and Somerset went up.

And while their young squad may have been ill-equipped then to handle a season in the top flight, they appear all the more prepared after another season together in the Second Division.

Their opponents, Parish, are relying on experience to get them back into the top flight they departed five years ago.

Spearheading their charge are the likes of Ricky Hill and Corey Hill and Irving Burgess, who have returned home, while Sean Dill and Leon Raynor, formerly of North Village, have provided the team with extra experience.

Wolves and Parish produced a thrilling encounter in the FA Cup recently and much the same is expected as Parish go in search of revenge.

Still, Wolves have something they will be trying to hold onto for a little while longer, namely their perfect record which they stretched to eight wins in the league against Paget recently.

As a result Parish will have a tough time trying to close the five-point gap that presently exists between the two teams.

Victory tonight will leave Wolves some four points short of certain promotion, though with a 14-point lead over the third and fourth teams Prospect and St.

David's, and with six games remaining, it would appear promotion is a foregone conclusion.

Even if they lose tonight, Parish could virtually seal their fate with wins over nearest rivals St. David's and Prospect on February 7 and March 8.

Somerset Trojans, just out of their first season in the Second Division, failed to take a giant step away from the relegation zone when they allowed Hotels to score an injury time equaliser last Sunday. That result keeps Hotels four points ahead of the Trojans in seventh place and just three points ahead of the bottom teams PHC and Cougars.

This will be a crucial match for Cougars who, just off their first win of the season last weekend against the Zebras, could move off the bottom for the first time.

Cougars will be hoping the new year brings about a change in fortune, having picked up just two points in the first half of the season.

The win over PHC was an important one and now Cougars can help their survival hopes again with another good result against the Trojans.

Somerset have not won since October 10 when they beat PHC 1-0 to move into second place in the standings after three games.

Before last weekend's draw with Hotels they had lost six matches on the trot, and now there is danger again of relegation.