Paget Lions learned a hard and valuable lesson at White Hill Field on Sunday ? never take the opposition for granted!

The Premier Division newcomers suffered the worst defeat in their club history ? a 9-1 drubbing at the hands of a menacing Boulevard.

Previously their heaviest defeat had been a 7-1 hammering at the hands of Somerset Trojans in the 2003-04 First Division Shield Final at Wellington Oval.

Just a week earlier in their season-opener, and their first-ever Premier match, Paget edged nearby rivals PHC Zebras 3-2, but came undone seven days later against Blazers who hit the target with deadly accuracy on a regular basis.

Club president and former Lions goalie Mike Stovell attributed his team?s heavy loss to a lack of venom in midfield, turnovers and judging their opponents based on their disappointing performance last season.

It proved to be a cocktail for disaster.

?There?s no reason for us to make any excuses . . . we lost 9-1. And there?s no way we can go back and fix that,? Stovell told yesterday.

?I think all pre-season nobody knew too much about Boulevard. So we took them on their performances last year.

?But once we got into the match and realised Boulevard were not the pushovers we had anticipated them to be, it was just an awakening for us.?

Lions trailed 4-1 at the half.

?I don?t think we were actually picking up the ball and distributing it to our forwards like we were supposed to. Too many passes were intercepted which left our back line hanging on its own,? Stovell added.

However, it wasn?t a case of all doom and gloom for Lions as ?keeper Tariq Smith showed a few flashes of brilliance between the ?sticks?.

?It could?ve been even more hadn?t Tariq made a few tremendous saves,? Stovell said. ?But again I think it was a little miscommunication in the midfield.?

Lions are set to play their third straight league match against St.David?s this Sunday at White Hill Field, a clash in which Stovell is confident his team will rebound from the previous week?s humiliation.

And despite Warriors losing their first game of the season last weekend to defending Premier Division champions North Village, Stovell insisted his teams had already learned a valuable lesson ? not to take any team for granted.

?We are not going to take these guys lightly at all,? he said. ?We just have to pick up where we left off and try and improve our game and don?t take no opponent for granted.

?We?ve received our baptism and now all the guys will have to put in that little extra effort and bounce back because that loss hasn?t counted us out.

?A win on Sunday and we?re right back in there.?