Following his switch from Linfield, ex Northern Ireland international Ivan Sproule is set to make his Ferney Park debut on Saturday against Ballymena. The 34 year has played two games away from home since he signed, but admits he cannot wait to run out in front of the home support as a Mallard.
“There is nothing better for a footballer than playing on your home ground in front of your home fans,” said Ivan. “Anyone who has watched me in the past, maybe for Northern Ireland, will still see the same Ivan. The older you get you use your head a bit more than your feet, and I am hoping that I can come in and give them that wee bit of experience, and that wee bit of steel along with it. Ferney Park is a great pitch so for someone who is a dribbler and likes to get on the ball like me let’s hope it suits me down to the ground. I am looking forward to getting going on Saturday.”
Ivan returned from the mainland to sign for Linfield in December 2013, but he struggled to establish himself in the starting line-up, before the lure of regular football tempted back to Ballinamallard.
“Since I came home two and a half years ago I have had two major operations on my knee and my Linfield career was stop start for the most part of it,” he said. “I played the European games at the start and then missed out on a lot of football and it got to the stage at Christmas where I wasn’t looking to make the commitment to go to Belfast three nights a week and then not play much football, so I asked to go. I spoke to David (Healey) and he wanted me to stay at Linfield and see out the season but that wasn’t enough for me. I am still pushing my body as hard now as I was when I was 21, I still feel fit and still feel that I have that sharpness. I wanted to be playing a lot more football and Ballinamallard gave me that option.”
It is almost a return to his roots for the Castlederg man, as he turned out for the club as a young player. “The club itself is not strange to me,” he acknowledged. “A lot of people forget that I was at Ballinamallard when I was a kid. When Greg Turley was in charge I did a pre-season with them and started that season playing with them, so I have been around the club. One of my good friends is Andy Crawford and when I was across the water he was playing his football at Ballinamallard, and I always kept tabs on the club through him.”
The move from a team challenging at the top of the table to a side embroiled in a scrap against relegation will bring very different challenges, but Ivan believes he is ready for the test. “I knew what I was coming into when I signed for Ballinamallard,” he said. “They hadn’t won in nine games so I knew I was going to have a fight on my hands but I knew from seeing them and playing against them there was obviously quality in the changing room. They have a good manager who wants to take the club forward and unfortunately it has been a difficult season for them and they are down near the bottom of the table, but for me they have a good squad and if they can get the rub of the green things can turn around and start shooting up the table. There’s definitely a lot of quality within the squad but they know and I know and the manager knows the only way to get out of this is by getting results, and we have to stand up and show that quality. It is a challenge for me as much as anything else, and a challenge for club at the moment, and a challenge is never something I shy away from.”
Since joining the team Ivan has tasted defeat in the cup to Coleraine and a 2-0 loss to Cliftonville, but the squad has been further strengthened this week with the addition of striker Stephen O’Flynn and Ivan believes he will be a valuable asset to the team as they look to end their losing streak. “It is a good addition to Ballinamallard,” he said. “I knew that Linfield were in for him last year and missed out on him to Crusaders, and if Jordan Owens had not been there he would have played a lot more football. It’s good for us because he is a more traditional number nine whereas I am probably more of an addition to the midfield wide role, so there will be a lot of options and a lot of people fighting for places and you need that in a squad. Maybe that is a luxury that Ballinamallard have not had in the past but I’m sure everyone will have in their mind now that they are fighting for their place.”