Through the decades Devonshire Cougars and Somerset Trojans have produced some memorable FA Cup battles.

And Sunday?s eight-goal FA Cup first round thriller at Somerset Cricket Club was no exception.

During the 1980s the two Premier Division clubs met on several occasions in the semi-final of the competition, which celebrates its 50th anniversary next April, in matches which often had to be decided either by a replay or penalty kicks.

And with the wizardry of Heys Wolfe, Kwame Steede and Domico Coddington up against Jelani Scott, Rohaan Simons and the experience of Dwight Basden, Sunday?s cup tie always had the potential to go either way.

But what unravelled in the West End is now history as the the slate has been wiped clean and the teams primed to go head-to-head all over again tonight (8 p.m.) at the Den in a match that will decide who advances to the second round.

Trojans fans need not be reminded that, historically, the Den has not been a good hunting ground in cup competitions.

This, however, is a psychological hurdle Somerset coach Dennis Brown hopes his charges can overcome when they step out tonight.

?Somerset wasn?t really a good field for Cougars either, but they came up here prepared to battle,? Brown argued. ?We just have to go to the Den fully prepared to battle because whatever happened in the past doesn?t mean anything now. It?s just a matter of us going out there and taking the match to Cougars all over again.?

Trojans are set to welcome inspirational sweeper Sean Simmons and powerful forward Stephen Astwood back into the fold, Rodre (Piper) Wilson was due to have a fitness test last night while midfielder David Outerbridge is expected to be included on Brown?s roster for the first time this season.

Both Astwood and Simmons sat out Sunday?s clash through suspension while Wilson is recovering from a recent mishap on the Island?s roads.

?Although Sean or Stephen did not play on Sunday we still battled well defensively and the goals we gave away came from the brilliance of Domico (Coddington). But that?s football,? Brown added.

Brown?s opposite number Andrew Bascome concurred.

?I thought it was an evenly contested match. Somerset were very organised and they played a very disciplined game,? he said. ?I also knew once Rohaan came onto the field he would add something different to their attack with his pace and I don?t think we did a good enough job marking him.?

Simons, as he has so often done in the past at both the international and domestic level, leapt from the bench to give Trojans the lead for the third time in the match.

As for the fatigue factor, the eligibility of Simmons and Astwood for tonight?s clash and Trojans? poor cup track record at the Den, Bascome noted: ?To me Somerset did not miss a beat on Sunday because the effort was there and that?s the strength of their coach Dennis. So even if Sean (Simmons) or Stephen (Astwood) play tomorrow they can?t come up shorter than the effort that was put in by the players that replaced them.

?And we can?t use fatigue as an excuse. We still have to rise above that. Make no mistake about it I am going to demand from my players once more, and I?m sure Dennis will also.

?I?m not expecting any psychological advantage based on Sunday?s performances. I expect another evenly contested match in which both teams will not want to give anything away.?

lJamaican Ambassadors wrapped up their third annual tour of Bermuda with a 1-0 triumph over a star-studded Somerset Extros at Somerset Cricket Club on Friday night and a 4-2 defeat to a Dale Russell-led local select at the Den on Saturday.

A second-half Anthony (Berka) Burchall own goal gave the visiting Ambassadors their first victory on tour over Extros after going down 1-0 to Tuff Dogs in their opening match last week.

However, Ambassadors came crashing to earth when Russell?s Bermuda select containing the likes of Wendell (Joe) Trott, Brian (Bulla) Anderson, Herbie Bascome and Sammy Maybury outscored them in a rain-drenched affair at the Den.

Cricketer turned goal poacher Dennis Williams netted a superb brace while former Devonshire Cougars striker Dwayne (Liquid) Bean and Cal Raynor grabbed the others in a match the local squad controlled from start to finish.

The Jamaicans replied through strikes from Winston Boddles and Patrick (Lazza) Lowe.