Ballinamallard captain Richard Clarke has admitted that the players need to do more, as they look to end their five game losing streak. Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Knockbreda means they have not picked up a point since their opening day victory over Limavady, and the Mallards find themselves one place off the bottom of the table as they struggle to adapt to life in the Championship.

“We all know as a group we need to do more collectively and we need to put it right,” he acknowledged.

“We had hoped to pinpoint Saturday as one of the games we could bounce back from. Unfortunately we couldn’t do that and it’s now five on the bounce that we haven’t won. It’s about getting back to basics and just going again.”

When Clarke agreed to stay with the Mallards following their relegation last season it was hoped his experience would be a crucial factor in adapting to their new surroundings, but a pre-season injury has robbed the team of their most experienced player, with Clarke making his first appearance of the season on Saturday.

“It has been frustrating,” he admitted. “It was just an innocuous challenge in pre-season. I slid in for a challenge and put my foot on top of the ball, and the guy came down on top of me and did my ankle ligaments. I was having a really good pre-season and for that to happen was disappointing. It has been difficult watching the boys and not being able to help them on the pitch, but hopefully now I can get up to full fitness and help the team to move forward.

“I played 45 minutes for the reserves, but last week was the first time I did a full weeks training since the beginning of August, so it has been a long time out. I’m looking forward to getting back on the pitch now, staying injury free, and using my experience to try and push the team on.”

Clarke is not looking for excuses for the team’s run of disappointing results, but he is hopeful that if they can get a win under their belts it can kick start their season.

“We are struggling but we have a good bond of togetherness and one result can change it,” he said. “The Championship is a bit different. I think it’s a bit more competitive and there is not much time on the ball but I don’t think that is an excuse we can use for our form. There is no hiding away from the fact we lost a lot of players in the summer and Harry brought in a lot of new people to the club and a lot are getting used to each other.

“We have had a lot of injuries and people missing through pre-season and that has maybe told, but a lot of other clubs have new players in who have hit the ground running. Unfortunately we haven’t.”

Ballinamallard’s next opportunity comes with a trip to Harland and Wolff Welders on Saturday and Richard is hoping it marks the start of the Mallard’s revival.

“We want to get a good week at training and get a game plan and see what way we are going to go about it,” he said. “There is definitely no easy games and we know we are going to have to be right on it.”