THIS week's FA Cup second-round draw threw up some interesting match-ups for January 25 but the top Premier Division teams have a more immediate concern . . . qualification for the Premier's Dudley Eve Champions Cup which begins in less than a month.

League action resumes this weekend after a two-week break and with only three rounds of matches left in the first half of the league, clinching a Dudley Eve spot is the main focus of the top teams in both the Premier and First Divisions.

Boulevard, Dandy Town, Devonshire Cougars and PHC occupy the top four spots in the Premier Division, with North Village a further two points behind the Zebras in what should be a five-team battle for four spots ¿ even though newly promoted Southampton and Hamilton Parish only trail the Rams by a point.

The First Division race for the four teams should see six teams involved in a sprint finish as only four points separate first from sixth.

This weekend's matches should help shape the race as the top teams in both divisions will be involved in matches against each other. The feature match in the Premier Division will be at Devonshire Rec. where unbeaten sides Devonshire Cougars and Boulevard battle for the top spot.

Boulevard presently sit in first place on 10 points, two more than third-placed Cougars who are seeing action for the first time since their 4-0 hammering of North Village in the Martonmere Cup final. A draw would suit Dandy Town, second, who have their sights on the top spot, even though three points against Village at Bernard Park cannot be considered a 'given' .

True, Village are going through a rough patch, but they will have had some time to work on a few things in training since their last outing on November 11. Their defensive record has been the talk amongst spectators, and understandably so after conceding seven goals on two occasions and then four recently against Cougars when key defender Kofi Dill was out through suspension.

Village would need at least another six points from their three matches before the cut-off if they are to clinch a top four spot while a Town victory would virtually assure them of Dudley Eve action over the Christmas holidays. Village's next two matches after this weekend are against Hamilton Parish and Devonshire Cougars while Town still have to play Devonshire Colts and Southampton Rangers.

Sunday's two other Premier Division teams will involve three teams in the relegation zone. PHC host Hamilton Parish at Southampton Oval while Rangers travel to Police Field to meet Devonshire Colts.

Any one of three teams could take over sole possession of first place in the First Division where FA Cup casualties St. George's and St. David's are looking to bounce back from losses to Commercial Division outfits Tuff Dogs and Robin Hood.

St. George's lead the division on goal difference over their neighbours but their five-game unbeaten run is under serious threat when they travel to White Hill to meet unbeaten Somerset Eagles who presently occupy third spot with a game in hand and the in-form team at the moment.

The east enders, who struggled to find the net in the second half against Tuff Dogs last weekend, will be at a disadvantage on Sunday as top scorer Allan Douglas is serving a ban after his red card in the FA Cup defeat.

St. David's, who suffered a shock loss to Robin Hood in the cup, meet Social Club at Bernard Park in another key clash between promotion chasing teams. Social Club matched their opponents, Ireland Rangers, for much of the match before being undone by two extra-time goals last weekend.

Social Club have slipped to fifth in the tables and cannot afford another loss which would see them six points behind the leaders.

Ireland Rangers and Somerset Trojans should step up their push for a quick return to the top flight with wins at the expense of Prospect and X-Roads on Sunday. Victories will also keep them in the hunt for Dudley Eve spots.

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Up-coming fixtures

Premier Division

Sunday: PHC v Ham. Parish (Southampton Oval); Dev. Colts v Southampton (Police Field); North Village v Dandy Town (Bernard Park); Dev. Cougars v Boulevard (Devonshire Rec.).

December 7: Southampton v Dandy Town; Dev. Cougars v PHC (Dec 5); Ham. Parish v North Village; Boulevard v Dev. Colts.

December 14: Dandy Town v Boulevard; North Village v Dev. Cougars; Dev. Colts v PHC; Southampton v Ham. Parish.

First Division

Sunday: X-Roads v Somerset (Garrison Field); Ireland Rangers v Prospect (Malabar Field); Paget v Wolves (White Hill Field); YMSC v St. David's (Bernard Park); Som. Eagles v St. George's (White Hill 3.00). Matches start at 12.30 unless stated.

November 30: X-Roads v BAA; St. David's v Somerset; Prospect v Wolves; St. George's v Ireland Rangers; YMSC v Som. Eagles.

December 7: BAA v Ireland Rangers; Paget v X-Roads; Wolves v Somerset (Dec 5); St. David's v St. George's; Prospect v YMSC.

December 14: Ireland Rangers v YMSC; Prospect v St. David's; Som. Eagles v BAA; St. George's v Wolves; Somerset v Paget (Dec 13).

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l ROBIN Hood, who once reached the semi-final of the FA Cup (1992), have the best chance to carry the Commercial Division flag into the quarter-finals of this year's competition.

This week's second-round draw pits Hood against struggling Premier Division side Devonshire Colts in one of eight matches on January 25. However, much can change between now and the time the two teams meet. It should also be pointed out that Colts were the first First Division team to win the FA Cup ¿ only two years ago so Hood have enough reason to be cautious about the tie.

The two other Commercial teams in the last 16 also face a mammoth task trying to survive for another round. Tuff Dogs, deserved winners over St. George's last weekend, are away to Southampton Rangers while MR Onions can expect a difficult match at Bernard Park against North Village.

There is only one all-Premier Division clash among the eight, with Dandy Town, who were ousted in the early round last year, hosting Devonshire Cougars. Defending champions PHC are away to Somerset Trojans in a clash between the two most successful teams in the history of the competition.

The draws for the Friendship and Shield competitions were also made at the BFA office this week.

Friendship holders North Village open the defence of their title against Dandy Town while 2008 beaten finalists PHC face Devonshire Cougars on January 11. Boulevard play Hamilton Parish and Southampton Rangers meet Devonshire Colts in the other two matches.

Shield champions St. David's have a meeting with Ireland Rangers while Prospect take on Somerset Trojans; BAA play St. George's and Somerset Eagles meet the winners of X-Roads and Social Club. Those matches are also on January 11.