Brendon Minors has backed Dandy Town to end their trophy drought and break Devonshire Cougars’ silverware stranglehold when the two teams meet in the Dudley Eve final on Monday.

Minors hopes to lift his first title since being appointed Hornets skipper by coach Jomar Wilkinson, whose side haven’t won a trophy since the FA Cup final in 2012.

Their opponents, Cougars, are the main reason for that barren spell after claiming the ‘triple crown’ (league title, FA Cup and Friendship Trophy) last season.

Should they triumph in the Dudley Eve final, Cougars would possess all of the top-flight domestic trophies — a historic distinction Hornets are keen to foil.

“We’ve been preparing really hard and the team has a great cohesion right now, which is working well for us,” said Minors, who has been a commanding presence at the heart of Hornets’ defence this season.

“It would be a very special moment for me to win a trophy in my first season as captain, a real honour.”

Wilkinson, whose side sit top of the Premier Division, said Hornets were desperate to add to their well-stocked trophy cabinet after finishing last term empty-handed.

“Last season we took a journey, a negative journey somewhat, but positive in the end because we learned some valuable lessons and this team has matured since then,” said Wilkinson, who revealed Jahquille Stowe was doubtful following a head collision with team-mate Rico Trott in last weekend’s game against Wolves.

“Our motivation comes from the lessons we learned last season and we have shown a lot of character so far this season.

“If we can be successful in this trophy it will give us a lot of confidence going forward in terms of the belief of the team.”

The Dudley Eve final will be a battle between the Island’s “two elite” teams, according to Wilkinson, who believes both sides know what to expect from each other.

“We want to impose ourselves on them. We train our team to play a very high passing game at a very high tempo.

“Cougars will expect that anyway as that’s the way we play. We are the two elite teams in Bermuda at this moment and every time we meet them it’s a challenge.

“With Dennis Brown being their coach, you can expect them to be very defensively organsied but they also have a lot of attacking talent, so it will be a tough challenge for us.”

Bermuda Football Association’s vice-president Cal Blankendal is hoping both sets of supporters can create a fun-filled atmosphere at the National Sports Centre on Monday.

“We’re looking for those families who have been coming out during the first three or four weeks of the season to come out and show their support for both teams,” he said.

“We hope to hear (Dandy Town’s) ringing of the bell and the (Cougars) drums come out and make it a festive event.

“It’s important these young men feel proud about representing their teams in a cup final at the National Sports Centre.”

Kick-off for the Dudley Eve final has been moved to 2.30pm to avoid clashing with Monday night’s World Rugby Classic at the neighbouring North Field.