Johnny Lafferty has targeted goals as Ballinamallard look to pull clear of the relegation zone with five games remaining this season.

The lowest scorers in the league lost out to Ballymena on Saturday, and Lafferty admits he is not happy with the goal return from either himself or the team. “Goals are lacking big time,” he acknowledged. “This last couple of games I have been getting chances and not tucking them away. It’s something we’ve been working on but it just hasn’t happened for one reason or another. As a team we have been creating chances and not taking them. Individually as well I have been practicing. They haven’t been going in for one reason or another but we will just keep battling and the goals will come. We created chances the whole way through the game but we just failed to take them, and the difference was that when Ballymena went up the other end they took their chance. We can have no complaints at the score line really.” Lafferty had an early chance to open the scoring on Saturday when a trademark run from deep took him to the edge of the Ballymena penalty area, but he dragged his effort wide of the post. Ballymena went on to score three times and take the points, but despite two consecutive home defeats, Lafferty says the mood in the dressing room remains positive. “Had we gone out and not created any chances and been totally walked over it maybe would have damaged confidence, but we did create chances and we were comfortable for periods, even though those periods didn’t last long enough,” he said. “It was disappointing but we have to go again. We had four home games out of six remaining and we were targeting those to get points, so to come away without any points is disappointing, and the nature of some of the goals was disappointing. The chances we had, myself included, not to take them was disappointing but we have five games left to pick up points.” The next visitors to Ferney Park are Dungannon Swifts on Saturday. It is a derby fixture that often produced heated moments, as Lafferty knows better than most. The last occasion the two sides met was in the Irish Cup, and the Ballinamallard man received a red card for an alleged elbow that was later rescinded after the Mallard’s appealed the decision. Lafferty will be hoping this match provides happier memories, although he admits he is glad he is on home territory this time. “I’m just glad it’s down here and not up in Stangmore!” he said. “It’s a big derby. It’s a big game for both clubs and they will be coming down looking for points because they know another point will probably guarantee them safety, but we will be looking for the points too and it should make for a good game.” Last Saturday’s defeat has allowed Warrenpoint to close the gap to four points in the battle to stay out of the relegation play-off spot, and defeat against Swifts would be a blow to the Mallards hopes of securing their top flight status with games to spare, but Lafferty has no doubt they will finish the season strongly. “We always have been confident,” he said. “I don’t think the idea of relegation has even crept in, it’s just a question of getting the points sooner rather than later, and we are confident that we will stay up.”