Boulevard assistant coach, Richard Todd, is confident his team can rebound from this week's Dudley Eve final loss to Dandy Town Hornets in a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Despite falling behind and reduced to 10 men during the closing stages, Blazers showed tremendous character by grabbing a late equaliser to set the stage for a gripping finale to a match Todd rated as "the greatest of the season".

Hornets ultimately prevailed 6-5 on penalties to triumphantly raise a fourth overall Dudley Eve title.

"That was truly a great match and sometimes it's so easy to overlook the greatness of a match you are involved in when you are on the other side of the scoreline," the Dellwood School teacher reflected.

"It was a match the players will remember for the rest of their lives while the fans got all that they could ask for. I think it was the greatest match of the season."

Making their first appearance in a Dudley Eve final in 17 years, Blazers gave it their best shot before ultimately coming up with the proverbial short end of the stick against an emotionally fired up Hornets side, playing in honour of the memory of late defender Machai Campbell.

Still, Todd commended his players for their work ethic and sheer determination to persevere after striker Angelo Simmons was sent off, leaving his team-mates to soldier on in his absence.

"You have to give credit to Boulevard who never gave up despite going down a player. Overall, the team was very disciplined and never gave up," the former assistant national coach added.

"Late in the match we threw numbers forward and at one point we only had two players marking Raymond Beach and Heys Wolfe man-to-man. And when you put things in that context, in the end I thought that Boulevard didn't lose anything and walked away from the match with a lot of respect.

"To ultimately sum it all up, I thought that Dandy Town's destiny on the day was greater than ours. Their victory was the most fitting tribute the team-mates and club could have paid to Wayne Campbell (former Hornets defender) and his family on the loss of a son and a team-mate. I was very impressed with Dandy Town and thought that Scott (Hornets coach Scott Morton) prepared the team well."

With their recent loss now behind them, ex-Vestavia Hills Soccer Club academy director Todd believes bigger and better things remain in store for Blazers.

"We did everything that we could and it was this match that I think will help the team to grow. We are still in contention in three competitions and our belief is that hard work will eventually pay off," he added.

"There's always a sense of a disappointment whenever you lose in a final. But when our players put things into perspective they will realise that this is a good building block for us to move forward. I think the discipline, character, hard work and perseverance are going to take this team onto great things.

"Morale is up and the coaching staff is very proud of the players and the sportsmanship they exhibited in the Dudley Eve. This group of players are definitely moving forward, and our glory is still to come."

n Bermuda Football Association (BFA) have confirmed that Dandy Town have dropped out of the BFA Reserve Division.

According to club management, Town's decision to withdraw from the league stemmed from a player shortage that has plagued the Pembroke club this season.