PHC striker Antwan Russell admitted that the Dudley Eve competition isn’t his side’s main priority this season as they look to bounce back from their 6-2 thrashing at the hands of Devonshire Cougars on Saturday.

Russell scored one of his team’s two goals in the defeat that left a lot to be desired from a club rich in history.

The side are back in action tonight when they square off against Southampton Rangers at Devonshire Rec in the opening match of a double-header looking to redeem themselves.

Needing a win to put his team in position to advance to the semi finals, the striker said he was more concerned with the performance rather than trying to get to the next round.

“We just want to bounce back from Saturday, we had a bad showing although we showed glimpses of what we can do, but we are looking to get back on the pitch and get a win under our belt,” said Russell.

“No disrespect to any other club but this (Dudley Eve) isn’t the main objective for us.

“We have goals set out for ourselves and this competition isn’t one of our main priorities right now but a win will give us a boost and maybe get us into the next round . . . we will see how things shape up.”

Knowing that one win puts a team into the next round of the competition, Russell will be urging his troops to produce a better performance in their second match before the league season kicks off, rather than going all out for the victory.

A win against their close neighbours would go some way to righting the ship and with the new players still needing time to get accustomed to their team-mates, tonight’s match chould be an exciting one, something Russell is anticipating.

“The game will be exciting regardless of what teams we put out there. Both side’s have history behind them.

“We’ll just look to play our best and if we do that I think we will win.

“The new guys have come and got stuck in nicely. It’s not a matter of them trying to get into our system, it is more about finding our play right now and we are taking these games as warm-ups for the season.”

PHC’s showdown with Rangers is scheduled to kick off at 7 p, while North Village will lock horns St George’s who are coming off a 1-1 draw in their opening match against Dandy Town.