History has a funny way of repeating itself, just ask Devonshire Cougars coach Albert Smith.

Smith watched as his team booked a date in next week's Martonmere Cup final against North Village at the National Sports Centre on Tuesday night with a hard-fought 2-1 win over his former club Boulevard.

Now the stage has been set for a rematch of the 2001/02 Remembrance Day final in which Cougars edged by Village 3-2 to seize a first ever domestic cup title.

"It is rewarding for us to finally get back into a cup final after not reaching any last season," said Smith yesterday.

"That was a bitter disappointment for us last season and before the start of this season the guys discussed the previous year's setbacks and vowed to go out and put in the extra effort."

On Tuesday, Cougars had to come from behind before finally getting by a gutsy Boulevard team.

"We started off a bit slow but I think it was just a matter of the players getting adjusted to the different type of playing surface," added Smith, reflecting upon the match.

"We just have to correct a few mistakes and take things in our stride . . . there's always room for improvement."

Smith said his team were already focused on next week's challenge.

"We had a slight gathering at the club after the game and discussed a few things. It was a nice vibe but we don't want to get overexcited because we still have a job to do," he said.

The former Boulevard and Bermuda international star is also pleased with super sub Shaki Minors' recent heroics coming off the bench. In fact, he even hinted Minors could start in next week's final.

The towering forward came on as a 17th minute replacement for the injured Galvin Butterfield and set up Raymond Beach's 61st minute equaliser before grabbing the winner himself 20 minutes from time.

Minors was himself substituted in the 89th minute and was met with a rousing ovation from those gathered in the grandstand as he exited the pitch.

"He has trained very hard," said Smith. "He gives us a tremendous boost in attack whenever he comes off the bench and I think he has proven himself and deserves a start."

As for next week's long-awaited contest, pitting two of the Island's top teams together, Smith is bracing himself for what should be another intriguing match up between the urban rivals. Cougars edged by Village 1-0 during the teams' last month at Bernard Park.

"This is what everyone has been waiting for," Smith said. "Now we want to raise our game to another level."