Ballinamallard captain James McKenna says that the important thing for them now is to stop the losing run of five successive league games that they are on.
A change of formation produced a much more solid defensive display against Cliftonville last Saturday but they were to lose out to a 95th minute strike. However McKenna is hopeful that they can build on that performance when they travel to Coleraine this weekend.
“We just need to stop the rot,”he said. “We will be going into the game trying to get three points but if we get even a point it would be welcome. I think last Saturday was a good solid performance, even without the result, and that will give us a bit of a lift. We are trying to look at a new system that will maybe make us a bit harder to breakdown and I think that worked on Saturday so if we can carry that into this week we might just get that bit of luck that we seem to be have been missing lately.”
Coleraine have been going well to date and McKenna believes that the addition of former Mallard Davy Kee was a shrewd bit of business for the Bannsiders although he stresses they won’t fear going to the Showgrounds.
“Coleraine are a very good young team and Davy Kee going in there was exactly the type of player that they needed. Keesy just gives you a real edge. They have some really good quick players and they have a good balance this year so it is going to be difficult. It is not somewhere we are going to fear going though and if we are up for the fight we can certainly make it a battle. Then it would be a case if we get a chance or two then we have to take them,” commented McKenna.
Ballinamallard boss Gavin Dykes has spoken of the need to become a harder team to score against and against Cliftonville he played a back three with McKenna in the middle, flanked by Ross Taheny and Liam McMenamin. And the Mallards skipper feels it is a system that could serve them well.
“We have been playing well but it is clear to everyone that we have been conceding far too many goals and it is something that Gavin had to look at and see if he could change things. The new system has certainly made us more solid at the back which is something we had to be. It is going to take a bit of tinkering because we are going to need time to work on it in an attacking sense, we don’t just want to go in and defend in every game. It does though gives us a good foundation to build from and if we can add an attacking threat playing in that formation then personally I feel it is something that could work well for us,” he added.
And switching to a defensive role is something that the experienced McKenna has been called on to do previously and one that he felt comfortable in.
“I was happy enough with it. I’ve played there a couple of times in a flat back four and I know I can play there in a three and I’m happy to play wherever I’m asked to play. I felt comfortable and I felt the team were comfortable with the system,” he added.