Dandy Town and Devonshire Colts will be keen to clear the first hurdle when they lock horns in the FA Cup at Goose Gosling Field tonight.

Premier Division leaders Town are going into the first round encounter as the firm favourites. Aaron Denkins’s team have been virtually unstoppable this season and should prove a tough nut to crack for a Devonshire side who have been plagued by injuries of late.

Goalkeeper Jahniko Francis broke a finger in Colts 1-0 win against Somerset Trojans in the league on January 30. Kiuno Cann then pulled a hamstring in the warm-up ahead of a February 3 encounter against St George’s Colts at Devonshire Recreation Club.

Bayon Robinson, an eleventh-hour replacement for Cann, was himself replaced during the interval with a sore hip, while striker Shaki Swan pulled his hamstring midway through the second half and also had to be replaced.

“Injuries are wreaking havoc through our team,” Ray Jones, the Colts coach, said. “It seems like every game we are losing two players.”

Colts have also had to deal with an outbreak of Covid-19, which brought their season to a temporary standstill.

Very little separated the two teams the last time they met in the league at Police Field on December 5, with Town coming away with a narrow 1-0 victory.

Angelo Simmons, the Town captain, scored the second-half winner to make amends for a first-half penalty miss.

Colts were also struck by injury in that match as defender Zuhri Burgess dislocated his shoulder and was taken to hospital.

Tonight’s cup tie was originally scheduled to be played last weekend but was rescheduled.

The remaining FA Cup first-round tie between First Division St David’s and Premier Division side Robin Hood, the last team to win the competition, was also rescheduled from the weekend to March 1 at Devonshire Recreation Club.

Meanwhile, First Division Boulevard produced the competition’s first upset when they edged Premier Division side and inaugural finalists Southampton Rangers 2-1 at Southampton Oval at the weekend.

The remaining matches saw Devonshire Cougars edge First Division and inaugural winners BAA 2-1 in extra time, PHC beat X-Roads 6-2, North Village thrashed St George’s 4-0, while Somerset Eagles defeated First Division opponents Wolves 6-4 in another match that was decided in extra time.The match between top-flight Somerset Trojans and First Division Hamilton Parish was postponed due electrical problems with the lights at Somerset Cricket Club and has yet to be rescheduled.