Harry McConkey had been in charge of Ballinamallard for less than 48 hours before leading them to their first clean sheet away from home in over a year. McConkey is the third manager winger Jason McCartney has played under at the club, and his early impressions of the new boss have been very positive.
“Harry only came in on the Thursday and that didn’t give him a lot of time, but he had us well prepared,” he said. 
“We went through a lot of stuff in the hotel before the game and told us what he wanted us to do. Everyone knew their job. It was good preparation for a man that only took the job on Thursday evening. We knew what we had to do which was great, and it was a great point gained. Harry has said he wants to play football but at the minute it’s more about getting a job done and getting points on the board. It’s about working really hard and getting what we can out of the game. I know he likes playing football, but where we are at the minute you have to build confidence up, and hopefully then the football will come.”
It is still early days in McConkey’s reign and there is no time for a settling in period given their precarious league position, but McCartney believes the players are right behind their new manager.
“Myself and Steve (Feeney) were talking before anyone got the job about who we would like to see come in, and Harry was the one we spoke about,” he revealed. 
“We had heard so many good things about him. I’m sad that Gavin has gone but at the same time I’m glad that Harry has come in. I think he will be good. It was tough for Gavin, and as a player you have to feel a bit responsible for someone leaving their job, but Gavin knew he had to go. No one wanted to see it but hopefully it turns out to be the right decision. Harry has been straight to the point and keeps things simple. He is very well prepared and lets you know what you have to do. He has said that if there is anything we are not sure of just come to him and we will sort it out. As things go on we will know better what he is looking for us, but everyone really wants to work for him.”
McCartney admitted that the new manager was not the sole reason for an improved performance, with the pain of the last home defeat still fresh among the players. “I think the loss to Ards motivated the boys,” he admitted. 
“Everyone had to have a good look at themselves, whether a new manager came in or not. We are fighting a relegation battle and we lost 4-0. Anyone who was at that game would not have thought that we were fighting for Ballinamallard to avoid relegation. I think it was about the boys having pride in themselves and proving something to themselves. I don’t want to get relegated as a player. I don’t want to go down that easy. I want to fight for it. That was the first big thing.”
Saturday was the first start for McCartney since December, and although he is still not completely clear of the issue that has stalled his season, he was determined to get back onto the pitch to help in the fight against relegation. “It’s great to be back, and with seven games left I am happy to play through the pain barrier if Harry wants me in there,” he said. “I’m happy to do that to help the team stay up. I’ve had a tough time. For nine or ten weeks I had an inflammation on the pelvic bone and you feel it all around your groin and stomach muscles. I was only able to train on a Thursday evening and then I was trying to be ready for a game, so it was a wee bit frustrating. I’m still not sure where I am with it at the minute, but it was good to get back in the team and build up match fitness. I know I’m not 100 per cent match fit yet but I have been training really hard the last four or five weeks which is good. I was a bit sore the day after and I only played about 55 minutes but it was nowhere near where I was six weeks ago.”
The next chance for Ballinamallard comes on Friday evening when Linfield come to Ferney Park. The blues are having a poor season by their normally high standards, and Jason reckons that gives the Mallards a good chance. 
“I definitely believe we can pick up some points, whether that is a draw or a win,” he said. “I have no doubt we will be well set again, and hopefully we will be able to play a bit more football at home. In think they might let you play a wee bit more than Glenavon did, so we can maybe build our confidence up on the ball. We definitely have no fear. Glenavon beat them 2-0 at Windsor Park a few weeks ago and they haven’t been on a good run. If we get off to a good start it could start to make them think, and maybe panic a bit. You never know. We have nothing to lose and hopefully we can continue to show a bit of fight.”