Parky says attitude and commitment cannot be faulted
Editorial Department • Published 26 Jan 2012 13:00
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Ballinamallard United may only have taken a point from their meeting with Institute but coach Andy Parkinson feels that given the other results in the division on Saturday, it was a good result for the Ferney Park outift.
"When you take a look at the other results in the division, I have never before seen all the teams in the same division drawing in the same day, so in that respect it was a good enough result. We might not have gained anything over our nearest rivals but then again nobody gained anything on us and now there is a game less to go," commented Parkinson.
The Mallards fell behind to a goal from Darren McAuley who is on loan from Coleraine, but substitute Stephen Sheridan fired home in the second half to assure the home side of a point. Parkinson felt that the fitness of the home players told in the second period and that they could even have gone on to snatch all three points.
"It was a tough game and I don't think that the windy, swirling conditions helped too much. In the second half they maybe looked a bit jaded but the strength and conditioning work that the players have been doing with Ryan (Whitely) stood to us and we had chances to go on and win the match," he said.
An injury to Feeney saw Sheridan enter the fray in the first half and he laid down a marker to manager Whitey Anderson with a good performance.
"Steve Feeney had to come off with a calf strain. It was niggling him in the warm up but he felt he was alright to start. Stephen Sheridan did extremely well when he came on and he got his reward for his performance with the goal," said Parkinson.
"Stephen Sheridan and Darren Higginbotham have been working extremely hard and they are making the manager make tough decisions every week which is all you can ask of them. Their attitude and commitment has been superb but it is not just Stephen and Darren everybody has been the same."
The game also saw a return to the Ballinamallard jersey for Craig Hill with the former Dundee United and Airdrie player slotting in at right back for 'flu victim Mark McConkey.
"He was a little bit rusty in terms of his football as he has not played in a while but there was no rustiness in the heart, commitment and drive to win the match," added Parkinson.
An Irish Cup tie against Coleraine lies in wait for the Mallards but before that they have a home league game against Tobermore on Saturday February 4, and Parkinson insists that the Coleraine game will not even come into their thought process until after the Tobermore encounter as the side look to maintain their push at the top of the Belfast Telegraph Championship One table.
"Our focus is now on Tobermore next week. We have to think that every league game from now on, three points is the minimum requirement. The Coleraine game will not come into our thoughts until we get the Tobermore game out of the way. We will just take each game as it comes," he stated.
The former Fivemiletown manager was brought into the Ballinamallard backroom team by Anderson last summer and he admits that he is enjoying the experience.
"I'm enjoying it. The experience I'm gaining in being around the boys and working with Whitey (Anderson) and Brian (Khan) and seeing the work that Ryan (Whitely) does with the boys is great. You also see the work that goes into the whole thing, it is certainly not a one man job," he said.
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 26 Jan 12
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