Broadford Rovers Saturday side have been struggling for consistency this season due to a number of factors. The Ballinteer based side enjoyed promotion straight back to the LSL Major Saturday league having been relegated the season before. This time around they are not fearing the drop but their inconsistency over the season has meant they may indeed miss out on a chance of promotion to the LSL’s top tier for Saturday football. A good start to the season for the club saw Broadford record three wins on the bounce but unfortunately the Ballinteer side has been unable to replicate their early season form throughout the season.
The side’s top scorer Ben Rossiter is concerned about the team’s performance at the moment but believes that they can turn their season around. The striker has noted however that the club has been struck with a terrible injury crisis this season saying “This season has been a lot more difficult than last year due to the amount of injuries we’ve picked up which has meant that a lot of our players have been having to play for both the Saturday and Sunday sides. This has had a knock on effect as some of the players that have had to double up have also picked up injuries as a result of having to play two matches every weekend”.
Ben also feels that part of the problem for the side is that they have not been clinical enough in front of goal as he relates “There has been an awful lot of matches this season where for the majority of the match we have dominated the game but haven’t been able to turn our dominance into goals. This has led to us dropping points against teams that we have no right to do if we are looking to get promotion”. The side recently coughed up a two goal lead to promotion rivals Maynooth at home in a game which Ben believes should’ve been put to be “Unfortunately after such a great start to the game we picked up two injuries just before half-time which disrupted our momentum and we allowed Maynooth back into the game. We let them get a goal back just before half-time and once they got it back to 2-2 we dropped our heads and lost the game. This is something we need to put right if we are to get out of this league”.
Despite the team’s inconsistency with eight games to go Broadford are only nine points off top spot and three off the promotion places. Ben feels that if the side can address their current problems then they have a real chance of promotion. The striker is certainly optimistic of the side’s chances saying “Even though we haven’t performed up to our normal standard due to injuries and inconsistency we are still somehow in with a shout of getting out of the league. I am confident that we can as there is good quality in the squad and we have several players coming back from long term injuries so hopefully they will have an immediate impact”. Broadford will have to get back on track soon as their next opponents are local rivals Wayside Athletic. Information on Broadford Rovers upcoming fixtures and the LSL itself can be found on the leagues website www.lsl.ie .
