head coach Dennis Brown admits to being somewhat down in the dumps.

Indeed, 2001 has still to offer his Hermitage Road outfit anything to cheer about, and the coach is not pleased at all.

"It's not been happy for me, but I'll survive,'' said Brown when greeted with the customary `Happy New Year!'.

Losing will do that to a coach, especially one who knows his crew can do so much better.

Since winning the Martonmere Cup back on November 13 -- Wolves first ever major trophy -- the club have fallen into a downward spiral, one which has seen them lose three of their last four league matches, while falling from fourth to sixth.

Once viewed as possible challengers for the Premier Division title, Wolves now find themselves among the ranks of the cellar dwellers, struggling to regain respect all over again.

"Basically, it's up to them to turn it around,'' said Brown, a former Bermuda national team captain. "One thing I told them once they won the Martonmere Cup was that as champions everyone is going to come out to get you, that they have a target on their chest, and they would have to go to another level, as far as performance and concentration.

"But I feel that since the Martonmere Cup they have focussed too much on winning their first trophy and not on the rest of the season.

"From the beginning of the season to the Martonmere I thought we were performing at a good level, but since the month break, the referee's break, I feel we have lost our focus of what we set out to do... we've become very complacent.'' Brown was never so naive as to think that the season would be a walk, that there would not be such times of struggle. But the man who many continually praise for his contribution to the ascendancy of Wolves from a mere after thought to major power did not expect the bad patch to last this long.

Brown's New Year blues From Page 15 "For my likings it's definitely lasted too long, but you have to dig deep, because it's an eight team league, everyone's fighting for points, and no one's going to give anything away,'' continued Brown. "So, if you want to get out of this rut you have to work hard, stick together, and that's where the work will pay off.'' Tonight it would appear Wolves have the perfect recipe for the start of a revival, with bottom side Southampton Rangers lined up as their opposition at Devonshire Rec. (9.00 p.m.), a team Wolves blasted 5-1 earlier in the campaign.

However, Brown was not taking anything for granted.

"Rangers are a team whose ability I respect,'' he said. "They have a couple of good players who could change a match at any time, like Janeiro (Tucker) and Kwame (Tucker), so we have to give them their due respect, but we still have to go out there and do what we have to do as well.'' Still, Wolves warrant the edge, with Rangers having but a single victory in eight league matches.

Tonight's match is preceded by a Women's League game between Wolves Girls and Royals (7.00 p.m.). Other weekend Premier fixtures have North Village facing Somerset on Saturday night out west, Dandy Town entertaining PHC, and Devonshire Cougars travelling to face Devonshire Colts.

Dennis Brown: Desperate to get his Wolves team back on track.