Normally a North Village versus Dandy Town tie would be categorised as an alluring match-up.

What more could one ask for than a pair of free-flowing styles clashing with all the marbles at stake -- in this case a berth in the final of the Dudley Eve Trophy competition.

Unfortunately, that was in the past and tonight's match-up at Somerset (9.00) from the outside rates a mismatch, with the once feared Hornets clearly bearing the underdog tag while going up against the favoured Red Devils.

Many might look back at Town's Boxing Day 5-1 battering of Southampton as a sign of an impending `break-out' by the Pembroke side. However, it must be noted that Southampton deliberately held out several of their seasoned veterans in favour of younger members receiving a `show', making the contest more along the lines of a practice affair.

Yet a victory is a victory and there is no doubt that on their day Town can match skills with the Island's best, but they have so far had great difficulty finding that date on the calendar. And against Village, winners of seven of their last eight matches, they will certainly need to be firing on all cylinders if they are to move on.

After Tuesday's penalty shoot-out loss to Vasco at White Hill field, Village were not so much worried about their next opponents as they were about shooting, as in "on target''.

The Red Devils worked well in the first two thirds, but struggled in the area of the penalty area, as has been the case for much of the past month, making tasks of winning harder than they would appear.

Village captain Damon Wade admitted to being a chief culprit in that regard and noted it to be a major reason why his team had been forced into a do-or-die battle against Town.

"We've been playing pretty good, we did good enough to win against Vasco on Tuesday. It's just that Sean Dill and myself missed a few gifts, but the elements (weather, soft ground etc.) was in Vasco's favour because it suited their style of play,'' said Wade, adding that such negatives must be overcome when they next take the pitch.

"We have to put our chances away, we must capitalise on them. I was one of the biggest culprits, I've just scored one goal this season...I guess it's a streak of bad luck, but if we forwards capitalise on our chances we should beat Town.

"They have injuries and haven't posed a real threat this season, our biggest task is to get ourselves together as far as being more organised when we attack.'' This lack of organisation up front as of late has undeniably been caused by the extended absence of veteran schemer Elliott Jennings, looked upon as the `glue' for the current unit. Jennings has missed the last two-and-a-half weeks with a leg injury sustained during a league game against Vasco and remains doubtful for tonight.

And while Village went on to win that contest and followed it up with three more triumphs each have been far from convincing, with them labouring for the most part, lacking the spark Jennings usually provides.

"He could be ready for the finals, but we don't really want him to rush it,'' added Wade, who continues to be bothered by chronic knee problems that have limited his minutes this year. "In fact the general feeling at Village is that the league is more important than anything, so we would prefer to see him return in good shape for the second half of the season.'' Indeed, Village's line-up has been ravaged by injury, with five starters or key part-time contributors among those on the casualty list, including Nakia Smith, Arthur Simons, Jamel Smith, Cal Dill and Larance Durham, forcing coach Wendell Baxter into a game of musical chairs each time he has to choose a line-up.

Tonight's feature contest will be preceded by a Premier Shell Shield semi-final match pitting St. David's against PHC (7.00 p.m.) for the right to the New Year's Day final.

Making for further intrigue is the fact that each side will be able to employ several senior team regulars as the rules of the Premier Division allow for four players from each team above the under-19 bracket, but under 21 years to participate.

PHC can thus call on the likes of Dano Outerbridge, McLee Smith, Enwar Hunt and Ellsworth Bean to bolster the side if they so desire, while St. David's have Sergio Goater and Keith Jennings among those they might want to recruit.