Kenny Thompson, the North Village coach, has warned his players not to take any team for granted in what he considers to be an evenly matched Premier Division.

Thompson issued the warning after the champions squandered a two-goal advantage in their previous league outing at home to X-Roads at Bernard Park on October 18 and had to settle for a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw instead.

“I have said it all along in this league that any of the teams throughout the league can cause trouble for everybody,” Thompson said.

“So, whether at the top or the bottom, you have to fight for something and have to be ready to do the job at the end of the day because nothing is a given.

“This season is going to be like that, and if we want to win the game we have to be ready and have to have respect for all of the opponents. All of the opponents have something to fight for as well.”

Village led 2-0 courtesy of Jaizel Smith-DeShields’s first-half brace and appeared well on course for their fourth successive league win with 15 minutes of regulation time remaining.

But X-Roads battled on courageously and were ultimately rewarded as Donovan Thompson and Paul Simons scored within the space of two minutes to turn the match on its head.

The result denied Village the chance to go two points clear after Robin Hood were held to a draw by Southampton Rangers.

Hood have since opened a one-point lead, but instead over Dandy Town, who have leapfrogged Village in the league table. Devonshire Cougars, who also won on the weekend, have dropped the champions to fourth.

“In order to go to the top we had to win the game,” Thompson reflected on their slip-up against X-Roads.

“We still had chances at 2-2 to win it, but we didn’t get it done and at the end of the day that’s football.”

It was the first points Village had dropped having gone into the match boasting a perfect 3-0 start to their league title defence.

“We have been on a good run and we now we take a point,” Thompson said.

“We are off next weekend which gives us some time to fix some things and get ready for two important matches coming up.”

Village will face Dandy Town in back-to-back matches in the space of three days.

The teams will lock horns in the Dudley Eve Trophy semi-finals tomorrow at the National Stadium and again in the league on Saturday night at Goose Gosling Field.