Boulevard face tough task
weekend, with 14 teams battling, from Malabar Field in Dockyard to Wellington Oval in St. George's, for places in the second round.
At least one more Premier Division team will be eliminated and two, possibly three, teams from the Commercial League will reach the last 16.
Boulevard, the most successful FA Cup team in the 1990s with four victories, face a tough match at Southampton Oval when they are hosted by Southampton Rangers. Rangers only picked up their first win last weekend, a 3-0 hammering of Dandy Town away from home, and now they will be looking to make up for their slow start.
Boulevard have been faltering lately with losses to Vasco and Somerset Trojans in the league and will need a victory to regain their early momentum.
PHC and Somerset, the two most successful teams in the history of the FA Cup, will have to watch their First Division opponents very closely. The Zebras, who just returned to the top division this season, face unpredictable opponents in Somerset Eagles at Somerset Cricket Club.
Eagles, involved in a fracas with Ireland Rangers players last weekend which led to their match being abandoned early in the second half, will be hoping for more favourable coverage tomorrow as they try to upstage the Zebras who have gone from winning the Second Division to topping the Premier Division after five matches.
Another First Division team seeking a cup upset are Devonshire Cougars who entertain the Trojans at Devonshire Rec. Cougars have won three league matches in a row after their opening day loss to Prospect and on their day they are capable of pulling off an upset.
But the confidence in the Trojans camp will be high, too, as they have won their last two matches to climb to fourth in the standings. They will have youngster Nasir Wade back after serving a one-match ban.
Five Commercial teams will be trying to remain in the competition... and at least two of them will succeed. The two all-Commercial ties see St.
George's All-Stars playing MR Onions at Wellington Oval and Belco meeting Exiles at St. John's.
Exiles, third from bottom in Division A, should be favoured over Belco who sit on the bottom of Division B without a victory. The match between the All-Stars and Onions could go either way; All-Stars leading the lower division with five wins and Onions on the bottom of Division A with five straight losses.
Tuff Dogs, new to the Commercial League, could produce one of the shocks of the round when they meet Prospect in the 12.30 match at Somerset.
Tuff Dogs lost their first match last weekend when they went down to St.
George's All-Stars in the top-of-the-table clash, but their first ever FA Cup match will give them the opportunity to show their worth. Their opponents, who have not won since their first match of the season, will be cautious.
Social Club, who included Southampton Rangers among their victims last season when they reached the quarter-finals, take on the other Rangers from Ireland Island at Malabar field.
Rangers beat Social Club 5-0 recently and will be favourites even though the scoreline should be much closer this time. Rangers have still not conceded a goal this season.
