There would have been many reasons for Harry McConkey to not take the Ballinamallard job following Gavin Dykes’ resignation.
After all, the Mallards were seven points adrift at the foot of the table with only eight games to go so it was hardly the most appealing of jobs. But the pull of the challenge as well as the chance to manage against the likes of Linfield in his own county swayed his decision into taking on the post.
McConkey was named as Ballinamallard boss last Thursday night.
“It was a decision that I had to make in a very short space of time and therefore I did speak to family and friends truthfully as well as people within the game. There were many reasons for me not to take this position but the over-riding one was on the left hand side of the page. I used to always say ‘do something each day that scares you.’ That’s how you are tested and how you grow and it is that challenge that I’m looking forward to. 
“Let’s face it, people are writing this team off but with the skill set that I have developed over the years through my teaching and through my football experiences, my fellow coach with the international team said that now is the time to use it. We have now seven games to go so it’s a wee tester for me to test myself as well as to test these players,” he explained.
And to be able to pit his wits against the leading managers in the league was another key factor in his decision.
“I said to the players when I met them that for me to be managing against Linfield on a Friday night at Ferney Park, in my own county, is probably a box that I really want to tick. I’ve been out on those nights and to be part of that it is a great attraction to me too. It made me think of all the other games as well and how I would embrace them and I’m determined to do that from now and end of the season,” he added.
Indeed, McConkey was quickly down to business. He agreed to take over the managers role at 6pm last Thursday, took a pre-planned session for Enniskillen Town and then was at Ferney Park to speak to the players by 8pm.
“I was at training that night because I wanted to speak to the players and I know that there is no time to waste. Everything we do now has to have a purpose to try and build this team and make ourselves difficult to beat so we can’t afford to waste any time,” he stated.
And it was straight into action for McConkey who was in charge of the side for Saturday’s meeting with Glenavon that seen the Mallards return with a point and their first away clean sheet of the season. It was a scoreline that not too many predicted with Glenavon having been scoring for fun while the Mallards have conceded 80 goals to date and for McConkey the clean sheet and the point was a massive boost. 
“For me the result was exactly the cement that I needed in terms of the preparation I did on Friday, the preparation we did in the hotel prior to the game, the preparation we did in the warm up and the preparation we did in the changing rooms. All the things that we did in preparation were cemented by the fact that we showed that we can stop goals and we have to do it if we are to win games,” he stated.
With confidence low, McConkey decided to go with a more direct style and it paid off on the day.
“The game plan was very much about condensing the pitch and playing a more direct game. It was all about the next ten minutes and we worked our way through the game like that. We played the final ten minutes against a side that have scored 77 league goals with ten men after Michael Kerr picked up an injury and we had already used all our substitutions so I don’t think I have to look too far for the positives from the result.”
In terms of long term goals, McConkey says that they don’t come into the equation at this point. It is simply about the next game and that is a home match against Linfield on Friday night.
“I’m not looking at anything beyond Linfield, it is the only way to work it as things can change so quickly in football. I would be doing a disservice to the task set for me if I went anything beyond the next game. Even after Friday night we go Monday against Ballymena so there is no time to think beyond that. We’ll take a deep breath at the end of April and have a clear head and then we’ll discuss the future,” he added.
Kerr’s injury has made him a big doubt for the Linfield game while Kee also picked up a knock against Glenavon but it is hoped that he will recover and Ryan O’Reilly is available following suspension.
And McConkey states that the Mallards will get themselves organised and hope to build further. “The old cliché is never get too high with the highs and too low with the lows and I’m not getting excited thinking that we have suddenly turned into a wonder team. We have to do this again and again and again. We want to build on it in whatever way we can. Linfield scored six the last time they were at Ferney Park so we just have to start by making it difficult. We will organise ourselves and we will develop our shape in training.” With Steve Feeney having also stepped down, Harry has added Maiden City coach Craig Lynch to fill that void while Brian Khan and Andy Crawford will remain in the backroom team.