Brisbane Roar striker Roy O’Donovan says turnaround will come for struggling side

Brisbane striker Roy O’Donovan is preparing to play his former side, fellow A-League strugglers Newcastle, and he hope he cops some boos from the away fans. He also feels certain Roar won’t be languishing come season’s end.

Brisbane Roar striker Toy O’Donovan is hoping to cop some heat from Newcastle Jets fans in their bottom-of-the-table battle. Picture: Getty Images

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Brisbane striker Roy O’Donovan says the threat of FFA Cup exclusion will be anything but a motivating factor for the Roar in their cellar-dweller clash with the Jets in Newcastle on Saturday night.

Football Federation Australia last week announced that the teams finishing in the A-League’s bottom two this season will play off for one spot in next year’s FFA Cup, with the loser to be omitted from the knockout competition.

But O’Donovan, who has scored six of the Roar’s nine goals this season, said missing the Cup next season would not worry him.

“It depends how much you’re interested in the FFA Cup,” the Irish marksman said.

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Brisbane Roar striker Toy O’Donovan is hoping to cop some heat from Newcastle Jets fans in their bottom-of-the-table battle. Picture: Getty Images

“I’m not sure many teams in the competition have too much regard for the FFA Cup over the A-League.

“(The Cup) starts before the league so it ends up being a pre-season cup more than anything for the A-League teams. It’s good to get proper games and match fitness before the season in that regard.

“But has it got the glamour of other Cup competitions around the world? It’s a pretty simple answer – no.”

O’Donovan was confident the Roar would be well out of the bottom two by season’s end.

“I don’t expect us to finish where we are right now. We’re getting better and better as a team,” he said.

O’Donovan feels the Robbie Fowler-coached Roar will start to rise up the table. Picture: AAP

“The byes do make things a little bit more awkward in regards to the table, but the table won’t lie come May.

“What we’ve suffered with is inconsistency. When it all clicks together, which I think is coming pretty soon, it’s going to be a sight to behold.”

The Roar are only ahead of the last-placed Jets on goal difference, with both teams having won just two from nine games.

O’Donovan, who spent two years at the Jets before his off-season move to Brisbane, described his former club as a “different animal”

“They’re wounded. We’re trying to find our best form as well. It should be an intriguing contest,” said the 34-year-old attacker, who hopes to be jeered by Jets fans at McDonald Jones Stadium.

“It’ll mean I’ve done something right when I was at Newcastle. I had two good years there, I really enjoyed my time there and I’m looking forward to going back there.

“I just want to get a good result and play my best game. I’m a greedy bastard. I want to score as many as I can

“We can get better. We haven’t shown enough this season, but I know we’ve got the quality.”