The battle at the bottom of the Danske Bank Premiership has taken plenty of twists and turns to date and it can be expected that there will be more to come over the last two games of the season as Ballinamallard look to secure their status in the top flight.
Whitey Anderson’s team currently sit two points ahead of bottom club Carrick Rangers and one in front of Warrenpoint Town but you only have to look at how things changed over the course of Tuesday night to see that there could be no shortage of drama to come before the outcome is clear.
At half time on Tuesday night, the Mallards were leading 1-0 against Dungannon, Ballymena were a goal to the good at Warrenpoint and Portadown and Carrick Rangers were locked together at 0-0.
If the scores had stayed the same the Mallards were moving four points clear of the bottom two and they would have climbed above Portadown in table into ninth place. 
However, if a week’s a long time in politics, then 45 minutes is an even longer time in football as things swung again in the second half. 
Dungannon claimed the points against the Mallards and Warrenpoiint hammered Ballymena while Portadown defeated Carrick 2-1 meaning at full time only two points separates the bottom three in the table going into the last two games of the campaign.
Ballinamallard boss Whitey Anderson was disappointed with his side’s second half display but he is happy to still have things in their hands as they get ready for a trip to Ballymena on Saturday before finishing with a game against bottom of the table Carrick on Saturday week.
“We could have made it a lot easier for ourselves tonight but it’s still in our own hands and it is up to the players now to knuckle down and put in a shift over the next two games,” he said. 
“I said it would always go down to the last game of the season and it looks as if it is going to do that.”
Ballinamallard had controlled a lot of the play in the first half against Dungannon but despite carving out three or four good scoring opportunities they only managed to take one and Anderson feels they were punished for this in the second half.
“We should have had the game won by half time but then we didn’t turn up for the second half and Dungannon punished us. 
"I thought we had nullified them well up to their first goal but our defending which had been so good lately, was woeful, we lost our shape and we didn’t come out in the second half and it is hard to stomach.
“I thought we were as good in the first half as we had been all season and if we had gone two up which we should have done, I think we would have won the game. 
"When you don’t take your chances though you get penalised and that’s what happened,” he stated.
Ballymena are next up for the Mallards and they have been resurgent since David Jeffrey took the reigns but they were beaten 4-1 by Warrenpoint on Saturday and Anderson says they will be keen to bounce back against his side at the Showgrounds.
“Ballymena are trying to finish in seventh place and they will be disappointed after their result against Warrenpoint and I’m sure they will be going out all guns blazing for us on Saturday. 
"We just have to look after ourselves. We have never won at Ballymena but we are going to have to go and do that on Saturday,” he said.
With the games coming thick and fast, the Mallards boss may opt to make changes for Saturday with Shane McCabe and Ivan Sproule back available.
“Shane had a tight hamstring but he hopefully will be alright for Saturday and Ivan will be available after suspension,” said Anderson.