BLACKROCK Rovers need a major turnaround in fortunes in 2015 if they are to avoid dropping into Division 3.

Rovers are a good side with some fine players but on Saturday they found luck was against them, and a combination of weak finishing and lenient refereeing did not help their cause.

Even when their task was made easier in the second half after Lucas were reduced to ten men, they paid the price for not testing their opponent's goalkeeper, Noel England, more severely.

By that time, they were trailing 1-0 to a 30th minute goal by Kyle Harvey who swept a low cross past Rovers' stand-in keeper Sam Watkins.

It was a testament to Watkins and the defenders in front of him, that Lucas offered very little in the way of shots on goal and the rookie keeper was rarely tested.

For Rovers, Scott Lovell and Jamie Watkins were stand-out performers, the latter bringing out a fingertip save by England to deny them a deserved equaliser.

But lenient refereeing decisions helped to increase tension and frustration among the players and club officials on the sidelines.

A Rovers player was booked when he might have seen a red card for a particularly aggressive tackle, but the retaliation shown by his opponent, who pushed him to the ground, might have resulted in both being sent off.

Later, when a Rovers player was through on goal a Lucas defender appeared to handle the ball, denying a goal-scoring opportunity.

A free-kick was awarded but no further action was taken adding to the frustration that boiled over in the final minutes with a mass confrontation in Lucas' penalty area.

Both managers declined to comment on these incidents, preferring instead to point out their team's player shortage.

Lucas boss Gareth Ponting said his team had not played for some time due to cancellations and postponements.

"This was our first game for five weeks," he said.

"We only had one substitute and we were down to the bare bones, but it was a pretty even game."

His opposite number, Paul Lovell explained why Sam Watkins had donned the goalkeeper's jersey.

"Our regular keeper Jason Szmaglik was unable to get home in time and we were also without other players who have gone in goal in the past, but our captain Sam said he would take the jersey," he said.