Picture: Ras Mykkal ALJAME ZUILL -- League's top scorer with 24 goals. How he would love an FA Cup Final winner.

DEVONSHIRE Colts. They kind of sneak up on you, don't they.

When Vasco da Gama captured four titles out of a possible six a few seasons back, they were widely considered to have had a dominant season, start to finish.

Few would have you believe that Colts have dominated the 1999-2000 season, but look out -- the Hallowe'en boys are shooting for their fourth title on Sunday in the FA Cup Final against North Village! Beginning with the season-opening Charity Cup victory over Vasco, Colts have reinforced their status as the gut-check kings of local soccer.

They won both the Friendship Trophy and FA Cup finals last season and have followed that up thus far with the Charity Cup, Dudley Eve Trophy and Friendship Trophy, again.

In fact, their 6-0 annihilation of Vasco in the first leg of the Dudley Eve Trophy has to go down as one of the performances of the season.

Small matter the league. It was their only loss in three meetings with Village this season that signalled the end of a brief challenge to PHC.

Colts spent much of the new millennium in mid-table, just out of reach of the relegation zone. But when the kitchen got hot, so did they, finishing a respectable fourth with a league-ending win over Dandy Town.

On their knockout record alone, Colts go into the cup final (4 p.m. start) as favourites, however slim.

The last time they lost a sudden-death match was the 1998 Martonmere Cup Final, to Dandy Town. Impressive any way you look at it.

Aljame Zuill missed a great deal of his comeback season due to injury but he has more than made up for it this term -- to the tune of 24 goals and counting! The slightly-built 23-year-old has been a thorn in the side of defences at a time when Colts figured to be at their lowest ebb.

Ambitions to follow up on last season's twin cup finish were sideswiped by early-season news that Keishon Smith would be lost for the season, and perhaps his career, to a degenerative ankle condition.

Zuill, admittedly his own worst enemy at Colts before transferring out of spite to Devonshire Cougars for one season in 1997-98, has stepped to the plate admirably.

"This season I find myself making and getting more opportunities to score goals,'' he said this week. "In the past I spent a lot of time arguing and complaining. But I just started playing my game and scoring goals. That's all I've been concentrating on and everyone has been keeping me on that track.'' The odd fit of petulance still tends to drift into Zuill's game as is evidenced by three suspensions over the course of this campaign -- one for a red card and two others for accumulating eight yellow cards.

"I love the game so much that every time I'm out I find myself missing it even more,'' he said while offering no hint that the disciplinary record will improve.

"This season I picked up a few injuries but I worked those out and pressed on to push my game a little. Altogether this year I missed about seven games through suspension and injury, plus I had a few games where I missed clear goals. But in all it has worked out pretty good.

"It is important that I strive and make sure everyone else on my team is taken care of. They watch out for me, so I have to watch out for them.'' Smith's goal-scoring prowess was generally appreciated when playing for Bermuda. And given, the happenings of the past week, Colts' loss was also the country's.

It is too late for Bermuda. 2002 World Cup qualifying is history.

But Colts found a way to make do.

"The team has really pulled together instead of depending on certain individual players,'' said Zuill. "I do miss 'Shon, so my role had to change and whatever striking partner I had, I had to make sure he was tuned into what I was doing. We came to an agreement and worked together.'' More often than not the danger man has been the temperamental Marvin Belboda, first from the subs' bench and latterly as a starter.

Perhaps Colts' best ball-handler, Belboda could prove a nightmare when defenders' nerves are on edge. He may play a key role on Sunday.

Key, too, has been the blooding of young players, in particular Clevon Hill, Ricky Saltus and Nathan Samuels.

Samuels, unfortunately, will miss what was meant to be his senior debut on the carpet after being cajoled into scrap with Southampton's Janeiro Tucker long after Colts done enough to win a one-sided semifinal.

But Zuill gives praise to them all.

"They've meant a lot to our success even though they're just coming up. We make sure everybody is all right as a friend or as a brethren. That's what makes our team combine a lot.

"We just don't train and not see each other any more. We see each other almost every day through the week. So every one is feeding off each other.

That's why we click so much.

"Ricky, Nathan, Clevon. Most of them I try to talk to because I've had a rough ride with Devonshire Colts. I try not to let them go astray and everything has worked out okay so far. They're all good players and will all get a chance to shine. I'm proud of all of them.'' Occasionally, however, one will flee the nest, as was the case when Jamal Simmons brought shame on himself with a public show of dissent after being substituted. It is safe to say, he will not be on show at the National Stadium.

Otherwise, Colts figure to have their hands full with a Village team who should revel in the open spaces at the carpet.

Zuill is looking forward to it, and especially a matching of wits against Village captain Kimandi Binns and national team stalwart Kentoine Jennings.

Zuill promises: "The better, the opposition the better I play. If they're going to mark me tight, then I have to figure out ways to get away and score goals.

"It has come with the maturity of the game for me. I don't get frustrated, I play. We've got 90 minutes, anything can happen. Kentoine could mess up, `Kimmi' could mess up, someone could mess up and have the chance. It's up to me to take it.'