Judging from the statistics, tomorrow's Premier League clash between Southampton Rangers and Dandy Town at Southampton Oval should pose no significant difficulties for the rampant Hornets.

Along with fellow table-topping side Devonshire Cougars, Town have yet to lose a game this season and will be brimming with confidence after their victory over defending champions North Village last week at St. John's Road, courtesy of a double strike from their pacy young striker Khano Smith.

Rangers, on the other hand, suffered a bitterly disappointing defeat against basement dwellers Devonshire Colts at White Hill Field last week and go into tomorrow's game without three of their first choice players.

Shawn Simons (groin), Rohan Simons (groin) and Randy Simmons (hamstring) are all nursing injuries and will be watching the game from the sidelines this weekend.

Statistics can be somewhat deceiving, however.

Last week against Colts, Rangers were by far the better side and, but for a succession of squandered chances in the latter stages of the match, would have gone away as comfortable winners.

And as assistant coach Nick Jones pointed out yesterday, all of their games so far have been evenly contested and the margin of defeat extremely narrow.

Jones is hopeful that the squad can overcome this recent poor run and at last give the Southampton crowd something to shout about.

"We should not be where we are now in the league. We're much better than sixth place," he said.

"We should have got at least a point out of the Boulevard game earlier in the season and last week against Colts we were all over them for much of the game and squandered chance after chance with the game for the taking."

"We need to get stuck in," he continued.

"We're at home, on our pitch and we need to use the home crowd to work in our favour. I think it is important to stay positive. We cannot possibly go on creating the chances and not putting some away. But to be brutally honest, with our league position the way it is, if we emerged from Sunday with a point I think it would be a job well done at this stage. If we can nick three, then obviously that would be fantastic."

Jones also appeared to renew his criticism of the scheduling of matches this season by hinting that Rangers' run of bad results was partly down to a lack of matches and "match rhythm".

"We are now a third of the way through the season and I feel like we have hardly played any football," he said.

"I tell you, if you blink in this league, you're in trouble!"

In other games tomorrow, fifth-placed Boulevard will be hoping to inflict the first defeat of the season on high-flying Devonshire Cougars at BAA Field, although having lost 2-1 to them in the semi-final of the Martonmere Cup earlier in the season, the psychological advantage lies with Cougars.

Somerset Eagles, one place from the bottom on goal difference, will have to be on top of their game if they are to defeat third-placed Hamilton Parish at White Hill Field while North Village will be hoping to put last week's defeat at Dandy Town well and truly behind them when they host Devonshire Colts at Bernard Park.

In the First Division, Wolves host Paget at Devonshire Rec. while St.David's are at home to mid-table Ireland Rangers.

Prospect and St.George's will fight it out at Police Field while the game between Somerset and PHC has been rescheduled for December 21.