Somerset Trojans and Robin Hood will be desperate for points for different reasons when top meets bottom in a Premier Division match at Somerset Cricket Club tonight at 8.00.

The Trojans, who lost to Hood 2-0 in the November 11 Dudley Eve Trophy final, are rooted to the bottom of the table, without a win and with time running out if they are to climb out of the bottom two.

However, after their opponents battled to a 2-2 draw last weekend against another title-chasing team, X-Roads, John Barry Nusum, the Hood coach, is expecting a tough match despite their lowly position.

“They are going to be fighting maybe harder than most teams because they definitely need the points,” said Nusum, who will be without captain Lejuan Simmons after his red card in a goaless draw with Devonshire Cougars last weekend.

“We just need to take care of us. If they come out and play well then that’s not something that we can control, but we can control how we play.”

Along with the absence of Simmons, college student Liam Evans has returned to school.

“We always knew what his timeline was, but having them both out is a big miss,” Nusum added. “Other players need to step up and I have confidence they will.

“We missed a lot of easy chances against Cougars that on any other day would go in. I don’t think we played bad; the problem was we didn’t finish our chances.”

Hood and PHC, whose match against Boulevard last weekend was postponed and has been rescheduled for January 27, are tied on 22 points and identical goal differences, with Hood holding top spot having scored four more goals.

The Zebras host the Cougars at PHC Field tomorrow with Cougars missing midfielder Demetre Daniels, who is sitting out a one-match ban after his red card against Hood.

X-Roads are still in the title race, just two points behind the top two ahead of their match against North Village at Garrison Field. X-Roads won their first match 3-2 at Bernard Park with Donavan Thompson scoring twice. The striker leads the scoring charts, having found the net in all ten matches this season. He has 18 goals in total.

Paget, who dropped into the bottom two with their loss last weekend to Village, meet fourth-placed Dandy Town at St John’s Field, while Boulevard take on BAA at St David’s in the other match.

In the First Division, unbeaten sides Southampton Rangers and Somerset Eagles will look to strengthen their grip on the promotion places when they meet top-four opponents in two crucial matches tomorrow.

Leaders Rangers host Hamilton Parish, third, at Southampton Oval for the second time in 12 days after their appearance in the Shield final, while Eagles meet fourth-placed St George’s at White Hill Field.

Parish missed the chance to move into second place when they suffered a 3-0 loss to mid-table Wolves last weekend, with Eagles having a bye.

They now face an even tougher challenge trying to take points off a Rangers side fresh from an 8-0 hammering of Ireland Rangers that took them to 50 league goals for the season in only 11 games. Rangers thrashed Parish 6-1 in their first league meeting back in September.

St George’s are seven points behind Eagles and their slim promotion hopes will rest on the result of this match, as an Eagles win would move them ten points ahead of St George’s, with a game in hand.

Elsewhere, Devonshire Colts and Wolves meet at Police Field, while bottom team Vasco will be aiming to clinch their first league win against a Flanagan’s Onions side just two places above them.

Young Men’s Social Club face Ireland Rangers at Bernard Park at 3pm, in today’s First Division match.