Sunday?s FA Cup semi-final ? a repeat of last season?s final ? pitting defending cup holders North Village against Hamilton Parish will be more like a family reunion of the Burgess and Jennings clans at Southampton Oval.

Village?s squad presently boasts brothers Keith, Kevin and Kentoine Jennings along with cousins Tariq, Daniel, and Jemeiko Jennings and Tyrell Burgess ? all relatives of Parish?s Irving, Nigel and Phillip Burgess.

Former Flatts cricketer Norris Burgess ? grandfather of Parish and Bermuda senior national team ?keeper Nigel Burgess ? is the brother of Kentoine Jennings? late grandmother Minnie Jennings.

Yet Nigel Burgess, due to return to the Island 24 hours prior to Sunday?s kick-off, says familial ties will take a back seat when the ball gets rolling given what?s at stake ? a place in the final of the prestigious competition celebrating its 50th anniversary next month.

?They are all just another player or opposition and what happens on the field, stays of the field,? stated Burgess, speaking from Washington.

Burgess, presently working towards a Masters Degree in electrical engineering at Howard University, is confident Hot Peppers can upset the defending champions.

?Based on last season?s final, we know we can compete against Village. We know physically Village are the better team but it all boils down to what happens on the actual day where anything can happen,? said Burgess, 25.

Last season saw Parish upset perennial FA Cup giants Somerset Trojans in the semi-final at Southampton Oval.

Parish only recently secured the valued services of coach John Rebello and technical director Leroy (Nibs) Lewis. Rebello coached Vasco Da Gama to the triple crown championship (league, Friendship Trophy and FA Cup) in 1997-98, a feat Village are currently gunning for, while Lewis coached PHC Zebras to tremendous heights during a successful tenure at Stadium Lane.

?We have coaches who are now putting in a game plan and as long as we follow that we should do well against Village,? said Burgess, who hopes to graduate from Howard University in May.

?For us this is another big match and it really doesn?t matter who we?re drawn against because our goal is to get back to the final and take the trophy.

?Village now have a lot at stake with the triple crown and now they have us standing in their way. And it would be good if Parish could pull off the upset and stun Village and get a little revenge in the process.?

Burgess was quick to point out that Peppers remain 2-0 in FA Cup matches at Southampton Oval over the last two seasons.

?We were hoping to get that field again because we are undefeated up there and the smaller field works in our favour,? he said. ?Our team has a lot of seasoned players and so playing on the smaller field gives them less running around to do.?

Parish? squad is expected to be bolstered by the return of striker Corey Hill, who won multiple cup titles at Dandy Town and Vasco earlier in his career.

Village?s teenaged scoring sensation, Keishen Bean, has also been spotted in training at Bernard Park this week. Bean last saw action against Dandy Town in the Friendship Trophy final at the National Sports Centre (NSC) earlier this month.

Village stalwart, Kentoine Jennings, is raring to again rub shoulders against his cousins.

?There?s a lot of talk going around these days but we will not take them lightly or go easy on them,? said Jennings, who enjoyed a brief playing career at Hereford United in the UK.

?We just have to concentrate on playing our style of football and score goals. And if we can achieve this then I think we?ll be alright.?

As for all the hype surrounding the triple crown, Jennings said: ?We can?t start thinking about the triple crown until we are there (at the NSC) on that day in the final. And so it doesn?t make any sense putting unnecessary pressure on ourselves this early when we still have another team to get by in order to reach the final.?