‘Disillusioned’ BJ Banda delighted he didn’t throw in the towel  

BJ Banda says that he’s back enjoying his football and that he owes Letterkenny Rovers a real debt of gratitude for sparking that.

Having left the Leckview Park outfit back in 2021, the prolific striker had spells at various clubs like Ballinamallard United, Larne, Finn Harps and Institute.

But they were experiences that Banda, who has hit the net 29 times this term for Stephen McConnell’s outfit, didn’t enjoy that much, and they left him wondering if he needed to step back and perhaps pursue other interests.

However, a persuasive sit-down with the Rovers management team last year prompted him to have a change of heart.

Rovers are now the new Premier Division champions, and they are looking to add the Ulster Junior Cup to their collection as they take on Kildrum Tigers at Ballyare this Sunday.

“At the start of the season, I kind of wasn’t sure what I was going to do,” Banda told DonegalLive. “I probably saw myself taking a break this year, if I was being perfectly honest.

“Personally, football hadn’t really gone the way I’d have liked in the last few years. I’d become a little disillusioned to be honest.

“But I got chatting to the likes of Stephen, Anthony Gorman, and Tony Blake and they persuaded me to come in.

“I have to say, I’m so glad I listened, as it’s been a really enjoyable season. It’s been great to lift silverware, but even in the dressing room, it’s a brilliant bunch of lads.

“We still have one more game in the league. We’re champions, but the aim is to go undefeated. Kildrum on Sunday is massive, and it’s another chance to win a trophy.”

Tigers have proved somewhat of a problem for Rovers this term, with two scoreless draws in the league blotting an otherwise perfect record.

And Banda says their recent dismissal of Cockhill Celtic - last term’s FAI Junior Cup winners - serves as real notice of just how good Shane McGinty’s charges are.

“We’ve met twice, obviously, in the league, and they’ve both ended in draws. So we’re looking at this very much as a 50/50 game.

“We’ve found them a really tricky proposition - they’ve made life very difficult for us. They went and overturned Cockhill in their own semi-final. That shows how good they are.

“I thought for us to see off Buncrana Hearts and Kildrum to see off Cockhill just shows you how strong the Donegal League is right now.

“And in a one-off match like this, anything can happen.”

Reflecting back, it hasn’t all been plain sailing and all-conquering for Rovers, and Banda says their FAI Junior Cup elimination at the hands of Mervue United still haunts him.

“We’re looking to be greedy - looking for a Treble. We still have the Area Shield final to come as well, against Swilly Rovers,” he explained.

“You have to strike while the iron is hot. Who knows how that will all pan out, but you have to aim for it.

“The FAI Junior Cup loss to Mervue United, that still hurts. If we played the game again one hundred times over, I still don’t think we’d get the result.

“I’ve watched it back, the start we made, the goals we conceded, and just some of the bad luck, it’s just hard to move past. If I’d scored the penalty, would that have made any difference?

“So it’s something that you just have to try to turn into motivation for what is still within our grasp.”