TWO losses in their first three league outings was not the way PHC intended to open the defence of their Premier Division title.

Already they have matched last season's total of two losses in the league after narrow defeats to Boulevard and Dandy Town. And while coach Kyle Lightbourne isn't panicking just yet, he is looking forward to a break from the league this weekend as the Zebras prepare for a Martonmere Cup semi-final match-up with North Village next Tuesday at Devonshire Rec.

The Martonmere Cup is another trophy in PHC's possession from last season and while they should be favoured to reach a third straight final against Devonshire Cougars, Village won't be pushovers.

"We're looking forward to it," said Lightbourne who doubts PHC will be six goals better this time following their 7-1 thrashing of Village in the Charity Cup.

"After we played them in the Charity Cup, I said North Village would be one of the teams to beat and they are starting to get their stuff together now. It will definitely be a different game, they've got games under their belts and are a lot fitter now. They have been through what we are going through now in terms of getting a result so it should be an interesting game."

PHC are one win away from making it three PHC-Cougars finals in succession ¿ something no two teams have managed in the history of the Martonmere Cup.

"It would be something if we get through and play Cougars in the final for a third season in a row," said the former Bermuda international. "It would show consistency between the two clubs in that competition. Cougars have got their hunger back. New coach Devarr Boyles has come in and done a good job."

While PHC were off to a good start in the Martonmere Cup (beating Boulevard and drawing with Cougars to top their group), Cougars have extended their unbeaten start to the new season with seven out of a maximum nine points in the league to move to the top of the heap on goal difference over Boulevard.

PHC have three points from three outings and with some catching up to do already with their next league outing also against Village on November 2. Lightbourne insists it is still early days yet.

"We're four points off the pace but things can change so quickly with three points (for a win)," said Lightbourne. "We are two points behind where we were last year this time. We started last season with a draw, then a victory and a draw. If we had won on Sunday we would have been one point better than we were last year."

Lightbourne added: "We've got work to do to catch the leaders, but I believe in my team and eventually we will come good."

Lightbourne says carrying the tag of team to beat is like having an expensive watch on one's hand only for someone to come along and take it. Everybody wants that watch, which has already changed hands a couple of times this season. Cougars, it would seem, are now wearing it.

"It's a different mindset that players will now have because they don't have the watch," said the coach. "It's up to us to go and get it."

Lightbourne puts the two losses in the league down to goalkeeping errors, but he refuses to blame goalkeeper Raymond Glasford for Sunday's loss to Town when the Hornets scored twice in the last six minutes.

"These things happen," said Lightbourne. "He's made many saves for us in the past that have kept us in games and won us matches. After the game obviously the 'keeper was distraught but I went over to him and say 'hey, that's football, we still love you, we can come through this'. The team that minimizes their mistakes normally wins."

Lightbourne is in his third season as coach and Sunday's defeat was only the third time they have lost at home at Southampton Oval in that time. In the last couple of years Lightbourne has transformed PHC into a force again, winning the Coach of the Year award last season as PHC emerged as the top team.

"I would say the only concern I have is we don't look like we're going to score goals like we did last year," said Lightbourne.

"No team has outplayed us, outfought us or dominated the game. It just comes down to a little bit of luck. Last year we won games when the opposing team's goalkeeper made mistakes when games were kind of tight that we ended up nicking. Over the course of the season it evens itself out."

While the Premier Division teams have the weekend off, First Division sides continue their campaign with five games on Sunday. Social Club and St. David's are joint leaders on 12 points but things could change slightly after this weekend's games with Social Club having a bye which will open the way for St. George's Colts and Somerset Trojans to close in.

St. David's have a tough home game against Somerset Eagles while St. George's travel to Police Field to meet unbeaten Prospect who have a couple of games in hand. Somerset should be good for all three points against BAA at BAA Field.

Wolves welcome X-Roads to Devonshire Rec for a clash of two winless teams near the foot of the table while Paget entertain Ireland Rangers at White Hill Field. The matches between Paget-Rangers and St. David's-Somerset Eagles start at 12.30; the others begin at 3 p.m.

l It was incorrectly stated that North Village are the only team not to have been relegated from the top division. As Dandy Town official Wayne Baxter pointed out, the Hornets have also never been relegated from the Premier Division since gaining promotion to the top flight in 1983. However, two seasons before that the Hornets were relegated into the old Third Division where they spent a season (1981-82) before two successive promotions saw them enter the then First Division for the first time in 1983-84 season. They have been there ever since.