Village, Zebras in do or die battle
Three teams are already through to the semi-finals of the Dudley Eve Trophy, now North Village and PHC must pull out all the stops when they battle for the last spot tonight at Devonshire Rec.Somerset Trojans are not only through from Group B but will win that division after wins over the Zebras and Rams. Those two teams meet in tonight’s 7.00 opener knowing that their fate is in their own hands.Village have the advantage on goal difference, having lost 3-2 to Somerset while PHC lost 4-1 to the Trojans, which means a draw would be enough to take Village through to the last four.Both teams are struggling for form at this early stage of the season, though Village finally had something to smile about on Sunday when they beat St. George’s 4-1 for their first league win.Village have been in a slump since their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Town in the Charity Cup, which was followed by 3-2 losses to Wolves in the league and Somerset in the Dudley Eve before beating St. George’s in the league.Keishen Bean and Pierre Smith both scored twice as Village ran out easy winners but tonight’s outing should be much tougher for last year’s beaten finalists as PHC face a must-win situation.In the nightcap, holders Dandy Town and St. George’s will battle for the top spot in the group, having already reached the last four after Devonshire Cougars suffered two losses.This match will decide who finishes first and second and determine the semi-final matches on November 4.