Roscommon hope to make home advantage count against Cavan

ROSCOMMON manager Fergal O'Donnell is urging his players to improve their sharpness in front of goal ahead of their opening National Football League Division 3 this coming Sunday against Cavan (Dr Hyde Park, 2.30pm). The Rossies are coming off the back of a topsy-turvy campaign in the FBD Connacht League, where they lost narrowly to Sligo IT and Mayo, but managed to defeat NUIG. And O'Donnell feels his players need to improve dramatically in front of the posts if Roscommon are to make any impact in Division 3. Speaking ahead of the game against former Roscommon manager Tommy Carr's Cavan, O'Donnell said: "We aren't scoring near enough, to be perfectly honest. We have averaged around seven points per game in the FBD Connacht League and that's nowhere near enough. It's very poor and needs to improve big-time. However, we are looking forward to the start of the league campaign and we certainly hope to be far more competitive in this year's league. Cavan will make for a tough test but we're looking to get off to a decent start." O'Donnell is likely to have the likes of Donie Shine - who has played a key role in DCU's recent progression to the O'Byrne Cup final - David O'Gara, Cathal McHugh, Ronan Brady and Enda Kenny back in the side, after their involvement in the FBD League was restricted due to commitments to their respective colleges in recent weeks. St Brigid's Senan Kilbride will miss the game though, due to a groin injury, while club team-mate Karol Mannion and David Keenan are longer-term casualties. Among the South Roscommon contingent who could line out for the Rossies on Sunday include St Brigid's trio Ian Kilbride, Mark O'Carroll and Cathal McHugh, Niall Carty (Padraig Pearses), St Aidan's Terence Kelly, and Michael Finneran of St Dominic's. O'Donnell said: "We've been down a good few players during the FBD Connacht League and it's difficult to predict where we're at because of it. But we've a few lads coming back into the fold this weekend and hopefully it will help us compete. We have home advantage against Cavan and hopefully we can make it count." Roscommon's Division 3 Fixtures Round 1: 07.02.2010 (Sunday): Roscommon v Cavan, 2.30pm Round 2: 13.02.2010 (Saturday): Fermanagh v Roscommon, 7.30. Round 3: 07.03.2010 (Sunday): Offaly v Roscommon, 2.30 Round 4: 14.03.2010 (Sunday): Roscommon v Antrim, 2.30 Round 5: 21.03.2010 (Sunday): Louth v Roscommon. 2.30. Round 6: 28.03.2010 (Sunday): Roscommon v Wexford, 2.30 Round 7: 11.04.2010 (Sunday): Sligo v Roscommon, 2.30. Other Division 2 Fixtures This Weekend Sunday: Offaly v Fermanagh, Tullamore, 2.30pm; Louth v Wexford, Drogheda, 2.30pm; Antrim v Sligo, Casement Park, 2.00pm