Embattled Rosario in rebuilding mode, admits Baggley ahead of Islandmagee test

Boss laments loss of four big players over summer

Rosario's Neil McGowan celebrates

Rosario boss Barry Baggley (centre)

Max Miller was at Rosario from the age of five before moving to Ards over the summer

Barry Baggley is rolling his sleeves up for another rebuilding job at Rosario with the Ormeau Road outfit decimated over the summer by the loss of a key quartet.

The Roses travel to in-form Islandmagee on Saturday searching for a first league win in four, and just a third in 10 since the start of the new season back at the beginning of August.

With that in mind, and considering the fact Baggley was powerless to stop four of his most influential performers from last season moving on to pastures new – including his 50-goal partnership of Max Miller and Thomas Burns in attack – he reluctantly concedes it’s time for some realism and to accept his side are in a fight tor survival.

"It was always going to be tough and we knew this was going to be a period of transition,” the Rosario boss told the Belfast Telegraph.

Max Miller was at Rosario from the age of five before moving to Ards over the summer

"We lost four big players during the summer, Max Miller to Ards and Thomas Burns to Lower Maze, those goals are hard to replace, and we lost Mangle (Patrick Mallon) to Belfast Celtic, he was our captain, and we lost Pierce (Arterton) there, he was our most creative midfielder and he’s away to DC.”

Even so, with plenty of new blood on board, Baggley believes his club are in safe hands. His reloaded Rosario will take time, of course, but for now, it’s all about digging in and battling for every available point.

"The lads I have brought in will take a wee while to adjust,” added Baggley.

"We’ve brought in a few strikers, they’ve only