Promoted Ireland Rangers have quickly discovered how tough life can be in the top tier.

So far the boys from Dockyard have lost their first three matches of the season and have yet to find the back of the net playing among the Premier Division ranks for the first time ever in the club?s history.

Baptised by fire against the likes of Boulevard, Devonshire Cougars and Dandy Town right off the bat also hasn?t helped their cause.

And with hardly enough time to catch a breather, Rangers are now bracing themselves for Sunday?s all West End derby with high-flying neighbours Somerset Trojans at Malabar.

Such is life in an eight-team division where there?s absolutely no margin for error ? let alone extended losing streaks.

Still, despite recent results, Rangers? executive and former Trojan defender Dwayne DeRosa remains optimistic the club?s fortunes will eventually change for the better.

?It hasn?t been frustrating for us because this is a learning experience for the club as well as for the team. I think in all three-games we have played so far the guys haven?t been outplayed. . . they?ve just been outscored. So we have been able to create chances but haven?t capitalised on them. And at this level chances don?t come too often,? DeRosa told .

DeRosa said at the moment his charges might be lacking in confidence having yet to collect a single league point or find the target.

?As soon as they score their first goal I think the team?s entire attitude will change and when they do get a first win then they will realise they can compete in this league,? he said.

?And judging by the matches against Boulevard, Cougars and Dandy Town, I think the guys have competed fairly well with those teams, though fitness might have let them down a bit.?

Had the likes of Lamaul Crofton, Adolphus Lambert and Marco Butterfield transferred to Rangers ? as originally planned ? instead of Trojans over the off-season, things just might have been a bit different at Malabar, DeRosa disclosed.

?That would have been nice and I?m certain their presence would have helped us tremendously,? he added. ?But I think the team is still adjusting to the league as well as to the ability of the players they are now competing against. We are now playing against teams who have more of a solid foundation than we do having been established for years.

?So at the moment we are just experiencing the same teething problems most teams experience when they come up from the First Division for the first time. They can be in awe of the teams they are playing against or just a combination of a few things.?

One new face at Rangers is former Trojans forward Stevie Riley, coach of the Premier Division?s newcomers.

?We had been looking for a new coach over the summer months and we decided to go with Stevie pretty much at the 11th hour so to speak,? said DeRosa. ?He presented a good proposal and we decided to give him a chance which is probably a bit shocking to some people given he hasn?t coached before. But at that time the club?s back was up against the wall.?

As to the possibility of lacing his boots for top flight football, DeRosa smiled: ?I had considered it but I celebrated my 42nd birthday two weeks ago. However, I do intend to make myself available for the FA Cup.?

DeRosa described the atmosphere at Malabar ? hosting a Premier Division match for the first time ever ? last Sunday as ?memorable?.

?We had Cod Fish breakfast and a minister from Faith Tabernacle Church provided prayer before the match started and we had a beautiful crowd,? he added.

?Security measures were in place, the grounds were in immaculate condition as usual and the crowd was well-behaved. And as far as the match itself is concerned I thought we competed with Town but just failed to make the most of our chances.

?The whole day was beautiful excluding the result. But in time things will happen ? especially after getting that first win and scoring that first goal. Right now it?s strictly about survival and hopefully we can pick up half a dozen points in the first half of the season which would set us up for a good run in the second half with our confidence being boosted.

?And the sooner that first victory comes, then the better things will be for us.?

As for Sunday?s derby with Trojans, DeRosa stated: ?We have already begun plans for Trojans and I?m sure our players are looking forward to the occasion because as you know anything can happen in a derby.

?I?ve seen teams that are better than others on paper still loose the game. Derbies are really tough games to predict and at the moment Somerset do have an explosive team. But who knows??