Devonshire Colts will be trying to keep alive their hopes of a League and FA Cup double tomorrow when they take on champions Boulevard in the semi-finals of the cup at Southampton Oval (2.30 p.m.).

But their biggest fear might not be Boulevard, rather the thought of reaching another final and losing.

Over the years Colts have made a habit of reaching cup finals. Since their last cup triumph in 1982-83 when they landed the Dudley Eve, the Devonshire club have appeared in 10 different finals (five Friendship, three FA Cup, one Martonmere and one Dudley Eve) and lost them all.

In the 1990s alone they have reached five different finals and lost, including twice to Boulevard who beat them in the 1992-93 FA Cup final and the following season in the Martonmere Cup final. Last season the Blazers beat Colts in the semi-final on their way to winning the FA Cup.

Colts have already reached one final this season, going down to PHC in the Dudley Eve despite PHC having had to play a more demanding schedule in the double elimination competition. Colts enjoyed a week off after winning their first two games but the break worked against them as PHC came out of the losers' bracket to win the title.

"I don't know what it is, a big stumbling block or what, maybe guys are superstitious or get in the big game and think about the fact that we've lost so many and can't focus on the task at hand,'' said skipper Shannon Burgess yesterday.

Burgess acknowledged that Colts were disappointing in Tuesday night's scoreless draw with Southampton Rangers in the league. With the likes of Ellington Weldon and Keishon Smith back, their chances of getting past a Boulevard team that have only the FA Cup to play for appear to be strengthened.

"Every game we try to play as best we can and if we can do that on Sunday, or in any game, I think we'll win something eventually,'' said the skipper. But he admitted Boulevard's cup history made their own job that much harder.

"They are a good cup team and it's not going to be easy but we're going to have to settle and try to play how we like to play.

"Tuesday night I was really disappointed at how we played, but if we don't score goals we're not going to play better because we need goals to take the pressure off us.'' Added Burgess: "We lost to Boulevard last year in the semi-final and they have a good all-round team so we're not going to have it easy. Because of their league standing it doesn't say that it's going to be a pushover.

"We drew with them in our last game, so really they have the momentum going into this game.'' Colts have led the tables longer than any other other team this season and winning that title for the first time since the early in 1970s remains their priority.

"We have a really young team and the thing I like about the players is they play for each other,'' added Burgess.

"No matter what happens this season, if we can look back and say we tried our best for each other then we can be happy with ourselves. No matter what happens on Sunday, if we play well and play for each other we can be satisfied with the result.'' Whoever wins tomorrow will have an equally tough task awaiting them in the final when they will take on one of the Second Division teams, Hotels or Wolves. They meet in the semi-finals next weekend at Bernard Park.

North Village or Vasco can attest to how hard it was to overcome their Second Division opponents in the last round and now one of those teams will be pumped up at the prospect of becoming the first Second Division team to land the FA Cup.

Tomorrow's opening match at 12.30 will see defending champions North Village take on PHC in the semi-finals of the Crystal Palace Cup. Last year in the final Village beat Somerset 2-1 in extra-time on a Ralph Bean Jr penalty in the first period.