Dandy Town Hornets will look to continue their climb up the Premier Division table when they host PHC in this weekend’s top match in the Premier Division.

Town, the defending league champions, spent most of the first half of the season in the bottom two in the table, though Jomar Wilkinson, the Hornets coach, always talked about retaining their title rather than just surviving. With four wins now under their belt, Town sit in mid-table just three points off the top spot and with a chance to climb as high as third or fourth after this weekend.

The two teams met in the semi-final of the Friendship Trophy recently with Town coming out 3-2 winners in extra time at Bernard Park. It was a thrilling encounter and it could be just as close tomorrow with maximum points so important to both teams’ title aspirations.

“I wish football could be like this in Bermuda week in, week out — it was quality today,” Wilkinson said after his team’s victory over the Zebras. “It was a very difficult game and PHC were very tough opponents.”

Town can expect more of the same as PHC look to bounce back from their shock defeat against bottom side Southampton Rangers which knocked them out of first place, replaced by Somerset Trojans and Hamilton Parish.

The league race is the closest it has been in several years with only three points separating the top six teams.

North Village, another team which held onto the top spot briefly, have been slumping lately and are now a defeat away from dropping into the bottom two.

Their loss to Hamilton Parish was their fourth in ten league games and must be cause for concern as Ralph Bean, the Village coach, has been forced to play in their last two matches, though he hasn’t been able to stop the slide.

Onions, fifth, are just two points and three places ahead of the Rams who are just two points off the bottom.

After last weekend’s victory over PHC, Southampton Rangers will have an extra spring in their step when they host Robin Hood at Southampton Oval in tomorrow’s other match. Hood won their first encounter 3-0 back in September as Antwan Russell netted twice at Goose Gosling Field, but Rangers will be a tougher team to beat at home.

Hamilton Parish’s match with Devonshire Cougars has been switched to Monday and will now take place at Goose Gosling Field (8:30pm), having been moved from Devonshire Rec.

There is also a two-way tie for first place in the First Division with Devonshire Colts joined on 24 points by Boulevard after only being able to manage a draw last weekend against X-Roads.

Tomorrow, Colts play a Wolves side that suffered a humiliating 7-0 loss to BAA and another loss tomorrow would see Wolves fall nine points behind the leaders. Presently Colts and Boulevard lead X-Roads and Wolves by six points.

Boulevard travel to Malabar Field to play bottom team Ireland Rangers while X-Roads play fifth-placed BAA at Garrison Field. St David’s are a home to Young Men’s Social Club while Paget take on Somerset Eagles at Southampton Oval.