An early exit from the Friendship Trophy could prove to be a blessing in disguise for Premier Division side North Village.

The competition’s inaugural winners stumbled at the first hurdle after losing to Devonshire Cougars, the cup-holders, in the opening round last month.

But that may not necessarily be a bad thing for a team ravaged by injuries during the first half of the season. They will now have an opportunity to recover during the Christmas holiday while others are still playing, particularly fellow championship contenders Somerset Trojans and Cougars, the league champions.

“I would never say that we don’t want to be playing in the Christmas tournament because the atmosphere and occasion provides a stage that every player should want to be part of,” Ralph Bean Jr, the Village coach, said. “However, the break is welcome in terms of giving the players a chance to recover physically and mentally.

“We’ve had our personnel problems in terms of injuries, particularly at the back, and this is an opportunity for players to rest and come back fully recovered for the second half of the season.”

At the halfway stage of the season, Bean’s charges remain thick in the hunt for the league title. Village are fourth in the table, three points adrift of leaders Dandy Town, whom they host at Bernard Park when league play resumes on January 5. The two teams drew 2-2 in the first league encounter at St John’s Field in September.

Reflecting upon his team’s showing in the league, Bean said: “We have had an up-and-down season so far where consistency has been a problem.

“Some of our performances and results are indicative of a team that are legitimate contenders for silverware and others have left question marks. But, overall, when I look at our position in the table and the progression of the team, I think we are in good stead.”

Despite their injury woes, no team have scored more goals in the league than Village, who also boast the second-best defensive record.

“We have shown that we can score goals,” Bean said. “We have a number of genuine offensive threats and for the most part they have delivered.”

Village thumped Wolves 4-1 in their previous outing, with forward Keishen Bean scoring a hat-trick to suggest that he is finding form. “Keishen is a very important player to the squad in terms of his experience and natural ability,” Bean said. “If he plays well, our chances of winning games increase significantly. Therefore, it is very encouraging to see him reaching a certain level of form. What is more encouraging is that I know that he is not yet reached his peak form, so there is potentially an even higher level of quality to come.”

Although Bean is encouraged by the progress his players have made since the start of the season, he emphasised that there is always room for improvement.

“This is a relatively young group with many new faces and I think that we have a way to go in terms of team chemistry,” he said. “There is also a leadership gap that has to be filled in the absence of many of the senior players who retired a season ago. Out of eight departures, three were former skippers of the squad.

“Both of these areas are ones that take time to fully develop, but will make a world of difference to the potential of the team overall.”

Bean took over the coaching duties at Village almost a year ago after predecessor Shaun Goater decided not to seek an extension on his original four-year contract.

He admits that the transition from coaching juniors to seniors has not gone without its share of challenges. “There have been some challenges, of course, but overall I don’t have any complaints,” he said.

“I am learning a lot in the position and enjoying the opportunity to grow in my knowledge of the game and also as an individual.”