Coaches of promoted teams usually stress the importance of a good start to the season, but X-Roads have shown that bad starts do not have to determine your destiny.

X-Roads marked their first season in the Premier Division by losing their first three matches to Devonshire Cougars, Robin Hood and Boulevard without scoring a goal. They were looking early tips for relegation.

However, the First Division champions kept their composure, picked up a first win against promotion partners Young Men’s Social Club in their fourth game and have not looked back since despite three more losses.

After drawing with Cougars in their return fixture in January and then beating Hood, Boulevard, Social Club and North Village in their last four matches, X-Roads are the only team in the top flight without a league defeat in the second half of the campaign.

“I’m not aware that we are the only team, but I know we haven’t lost and that the second half of the season has been really strong so far,” said Farid El Karfa, the X-Roads coach. “That’s positive to be honest, something I’m very proud of.”

Saturday should see X-Roads officially secure a spot in the top flight for next season when they host PHC Zebras at Garrison Field. A first Dudley Eve Trophy qualification for next season is also a strong possibility.

X-Roads presently occupy that sixth spot, but more importantly are 12 points clear of the second relegation place, and with just four matches remaining, so can only be relegated on goal difference.

It has been a season of two halves, El Karfa admits.

“The key was just consistency in training, keep working hard and doing what you’re doing,” he said. “Because the team changed a lot from last season it took us a while to get the right chemistry between the players.”

X-Roads completed the “double” over Village on Sunday, winning 4-2, with college student Paul Simons scoring a brace. His appearances have been few this season but Simons has made a useful contribution, also scoring all the goals in a 4-4 draw with Flanagan’s Onions last November.

“Paul’s presence always adds value to the team, he’s an impact player,” El Karfa acknowledged. “But even without Paul we have been able to post some good results this season.

“I would say it has been a complete team effort. I’m proud of the whole squad, we’ve been consistent, we’ve been focused, and we’ve been determined. All the performances we’ve had lately have been a team effort, so I give credit to all of my players.” The highs of the season for X-Roads include beating league champions Hood 5-1 in January, before following that up with a 7-3 hammering of Boulevard for their biggest as a Premier Division side. Qualifying for the Dudley Eve Trophy at the first attempt would be an added bonus for the club.

“To be honest, it’s not our major objective but it would be a good thing to achieve if we can,” El Karfa said. “It would be a major achievement, something to plan for and to keep us focused.

“The main objective was to stay up but the way we started the second half gave us a little more ambition.”

The Harris Bay club are looking to build on this season by adding to their squad, although El Karfa is careful not to disrupt the harmony of the team.

“My main focus is to keep the team together and to build on that chemistry among the players that we have,” he said. “It would be good to add a player or two to the squad but there is no intention to add so many players and change the team.

“We could add a player or two but that’s it. Otherwise you are changing the team, which means starting from scratch and you have to be careful about doing that.”

The final three matches for X-Roads after this weekend will be against Onions, Dandy Town and Somerset Trojans as they look to strengthen their grip on sixth place.

“My players deserve the credit,” said El Karfa, who could be a candidate for coach of the year. “They have been working hard and have been really positive, giving the team everything they have got.

“If we keep going the way we’re going we will be a stronger team next season, for sure.”