weeks.

Fired by Dandy Town in the middle of his second year as coach, Calderon has been snapped up by Hotels in time for Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final tie against Devonshire Colts.

Hotels president Andrew Starling yesterday confirmed the appointment, which had been rumoured since Calderon's controversial sacking from Town.

"Robert Calderon will be our coach until the end of the season,'' said Starling, who added that discussions had also taken place with Andrew Bascome.

"Robert helped us out at the end of last season when we were involved in the CONCACAF tournament.

"I know that he is a capable coach and fortunately for us he was available.'' Meanwhile Calderon stressed his appointment was only for the remaining eight weeks of the season and that he took the post reluctantly.

"It's a situation where a bunch of players approached me about helping them out until the end of the season,'' said Calderon. "It's not a difficult situation. There's no pressure and they're not expecting any miracles.

Still much work awaits Calderon, especially with Hotels mired in a three-game losing streak and languishing in the lower reaches of the First Division.

The FA Cup probably represents the last chance for Hotels to gather some silverware and salvage something of a season that has turned nightmarish following a promising start.

First in the league after four games they have steadily plummeted since then and find themselves locked in a battle to avoid relegation. Former coach Clevie Wade became the `fall guy' as a result of this change of events, receiving his marching orders barely halfway through his first term in charge.

Since, the lowest point came on January 19 when they were buried in a PHC avalanche, losing 6-0 and tumbling out of the Friendship Trophy competition.

"I've already guaranteed (Collingwood) Cooly Robinson two games so there's no way they can fire me,'' said Calderon, jokingly referring to Robinson who was said to have played a major role in Wade's ouster. "Most of the players there I have played with...which is kind of scary in itself.

"I haven't set any goals as such, but the first thing is to get them organised.

"On any given day they can beat anyone and if they have one of their better days (on Sunday) they can beat Colts.'' In Colts they find a side riding high, having just taken over the league leadership and anxious to solidify themselves as legitimate contenders.

Player/coach Lorenzo Symonds noted the vast gulf in experience between the pair, but hoped that his mixture of youth and veterans would be able to help carry his side closer to the goal of FA Cup winners.

"Whenever you're involved in a cup game it is a one-shot deal,'' said Symonds, a member of Colts when they were losing finalists in 1984 and 1988.

"There is some experience there (at Colts). We have guys who have experience playing in the semifinals and quarter-finals before, but not as much as Hotels.

"I'm hoping that the blend of talent we have will help carry us through.'' One thing Symonds said he hoped his players had learned was not to be over-confident just because of the enviable position they now find themselves in as league leaders.

"The beginning of the season was a lesson to us when we won a few games and guys started to feel really good about themselves, reading it in the papers and then we went into a patch of four or five bad games.

"I continually tell them that they can't play off of just one game, but that the entire season will tell how good you are.'' Other matches on tap Sunday have Somerset entertaining St. David's, who were knocked out of the Friendship Trophy earlier this week.

Dandy Town meanwhile face a tough road match against North Village with Boulevard seemingly having the easiest tie, a meeting with Hamilton Parish at St. David's.