Devonshire Cougars will attempt to break the ?Curse of the Hornets? when the two urban giants lock horns at BAA Field tomorrow to determine who meets defending champions North Village in next week?s FA Cup final at the National Sports Centre (NSC).

For the past several years Hornets have dominated their cross-town rivals and there are those who now believe the Big Cats inherited a curse when they acquired the services of former Hornets trio Heys Wolfe, Raymond Beach and Kwame Steede in 2002.

However, Cougars coach Andrew Bascome refuses to allow superstition to dictate his team?s FA Cup fate.

?I wouldn?t say we have had any bad luck or been cursed by Town,? Bascome told .

?This match will just be another challenge and it?s now all up to us to meet it.?

Bascome attributes Town?s recent dominance over his team to mental lapses more than anything else.

?Sometimes we lapse in concentration switching over from attacking to defending,? he explained.

A Carlos Smith hat-trick at the Den early last December underlined Cougars? vulnerability in transition.

Bascome, however, thinks he might have found a solution to the problem.

?We are going to have to give some people some special attention,? he smiled. ?We have to make sure we stay close with them and play the game the way it should be played.?

Hornets have already defeated Cougars on three occasions this season, and will again enter tomorrow?s clash as favourites to advance through to a seventh overall FA Cup final and second in the past three-years.

Cougars? sole win over Hornets this season arrived in the Dudley Eve at Somerset Cricket Club late last December.

Tomorrow?s FA semi-final clash will also be a repeat of the 2004 FA Cup final which saw Hornets run out 2-1 victors at the NSC in a replay.

Bascome says mentally his charges are up for the task.

?They are geared up for the match and I certainly don?t see any fear in them,? he said.

?And I?m confident they will rise to the challenge because this is another hurdle we need to overcome if we are to get to the final.

?We have the ability and the desire, but it?s important we show up prepared to play and shut them down first.?

Bascome has also demanded better finishing from his strikers.

During Cougars previous FA Cup clash at the Den, a plethora of missed chances allowed Ireland Rangers to stay in contention for most of the match.

Bascome agreed.

However, with the prolific Beach back in the line-up, Bascome expects his offence to be firing on all cylinders.

?Aljame (Zuill) has also given us great service this season,? he added. ?And I can honestly tell you that we will be ready to play.?

Former North Village and Bermuda star midfielder Bascome coached Hornets to the Premier Division championship in 2001 before going into brief retirement.

Both Wolfe and Beach played an integral role in Hornets? championship run.

Hornets are bidding to advance to a third cup final this season.

Last November saw Town defeat Somerset Trojans in the Martonmere Cup final and finish runner up to Village in the Friendship Trophy final earlier this month at the NSC.

Town coaches Devarr Boyles and Scott Morton could not be reached for comment yesterday.