Ballinamallard midfielder Cathal Beacom is delighted to have his first Premier League start of the season under his belt. Last season his first team appearances were severely curtailed by injuries and he had hoped to put those behind him and re-establish himself as a first team regular in the current campaign. After a good start to his pre-season however he was once again side lined and was forced to watch the season’s opening games from the stands.

“I’m delighted to be back,” he admitted. “It’s been a roller coaster so far. I put in a really good pre-season and then I hurt my calf. I went away on honeymoon for a week and then hurt my hamstring. I have had to just get my head down and start working hard. There have been a few injuries and suspensions in the team and I have got my place now so hopefully I can keep it.” His first start of the season ended in agonising fashion when Ballymena grabbed a late equaliser to deny Ballinamallard maximum points, and Cathal admitted the late goal was hard to stomach. “It was very disappointing and frustrating,” he admitted. “We hadn’t played well at Ballymena for a number of years so we have to take the positives from it. It was a very good performance. We worked hard and won our battles all over the pitch and I think our fitness took over in the end and we created a few good chances and we could have had them dead and buried. We could have scored and put them out of sight but we had a couple of missed opportunities, and we need to start taking those.” It is a familiar story for the Mallards who have put in several good performances this season without getting the results they have felt their efforts deserved, and Cathal is confident their fortunes will change if they continue to work hard. “We have been playing alright but when you are getting no points you have to look at the bigger picture,” he said. “Everyone in the team, and the players who came off the bench on Saturday, worked their socks off. That is what we have to do now week in and week out and hopefully get as many points on the board as we can. It’s still early days. Even in other leagues the likes of Chelsea are down there so it is too early to get worried about it.” Despite not securing all three points, Cathal was happy with his own performance at the Showgrounds and he is hopeful he has done enough to secure his spot in the midfield for Saturday’s encounter against Cliftonville. “I thought I did well on Saturday and I was happy enough,” he said. “I am trying to keep a record of my own stats and I think I only gave the ball away twice in the game and I was happy enough with that, and I’m trying to make as many forward passes as I can. It is good to be back on the pitch and playing, and hopefully I can bring that form forward to this Saturday against Cliftonville.” The former champions have endured a rocky start to the season and have seen their manager Tommy Breslin leave the club this month, but they still lie third in the table and will provide another tough challenge for Ballinamallard.

“They haven’t hit the ground running either this year but they are still a good side,” said Cathal. “We do feel that we can always get something from the matches against the big sides and the likes of Cliftonville let you play a bit of football and you can get a bit of time. I think we are due a win over Cliftonville and it could definitely come on Saturday. We will be hoping to take something from the game. I think we can beat anyone on our day and we are up for the three points against Cliftonville.”