Ballinamallard manager Harry McConkey is frustrated but optimistic after the Mallards suffered two defeats in the opening week of the season. 
The team have yet to find the net, losing out to Knockbreda and Dergview, but after watching his side carve out multiple chances on Tuesday night against Dergview the boss is remaining positive.
“If you are a Ballinamallard supporter I would say hold tight again this season, because you are probably in for a white knuckle ride all over again,” said Harry. 
“The great thing is that we have competition for places, and you can see against Dergview that the players that came in wanted to make an impression. We had a counter attack at 2-0 down with two minutes to go and we had nine players sprinting back to get in and defend and that gives me great hope for the future. 
“I know they will continue to work at their game and I know they are enjoying the brand of football we are producing. They are all absolutely gutted at the fact we cannot put the ball over the line at the moment and get ourselves the points that we do deserve.”
The Dergview match produced plenty of goal scoring opportunities for the Mallards, but their failure to put the ball over the line proved costly.
 “We have not been able to finish off some lovely work and we have been exposed far too easily in the set plays, but I was very proud of the boy’s efforts,” said Harry after the game. 
“We played some beautiful football, created so many chances and peppered their goal at times, and yet we conceded two real schoolboy error goals. It was two corner kicks and last year we had a very good record of defending corner kicks. 
“I would pride myself in the way we set ourselves up and our determination to make sure we defend the box well from set plays, so that was very disappointing to concede at a key time of the game. 
“I thought our back four were excellent at denying them opportunities in open play but I have to give Dergview a lot of credit for how they defended, and their goal keeper Ruairi McElroy was probably man of the match for them. That has been the story of the two games so far.”
The manager had identified the striking option as an area he was looking to bolster before the end of the transfer window, and he admits there is still a chance that he will add a striker to his squad before the transfer window closes. 
“We are in talks with a striker and if something else happens elsewhere then we may have an opportunity to grab him but if not we will simply go with what we have.”
The league continues on Saturday with a trip to familiar foes Portadown. 
The Ports hit back from an opening day draw with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Ballyclare, but Harry is hopeful his team can grab their first points of the season. 
“We should be really looking forward to Shamrock Park if we can reproduce that type of football,” he said. 
“The chances we are creating, eventually we have to crack someone. They stuttered a bit on Saturday against Loughgall and were disappointed in their performance, but clearly they got a reaction so they will be in a good place and they will be ready for us, but it’s another season of a league with some great matches and all we can do is keep working at our game.”