Ballinamallard manager Harry McConkey is looking for his side to continue their good away form when they take on Ards at Clandeboye Park on Saturday.

The Mallards go into the game sitting third in the table, two points adrift of Portadown and Loughgall, and they will be looking to keep the pressure on the top two.

“Our away form has been good apart from the Ballyclare game,” said McConkey. “Even when we lost to Dergview at the start of the season I thought we played very well so it doesn’t scare us going to different places, it is something we embrace and enjoy and we need to go and do that against Ards,” he said.

McConkey is though expecting a tough battle and will be expecting a reaction from Ards who lost to Queens last Saturday.

“I’m sure they will be a wounded animal after losing on Saturday so we know it will be tough game.

They would have been earmarking themselves to come back up again and now they find themselves in a battle and we want to make sure that we don’t give them any oxygen either.

“I’m under no illusions, I know it is a cliche but we will just take one game at a time, we will address Ards and give them all the respect that we can and just go and tackle them,” he commented.

The Ducks continued their push at the top of the table with a 2-1 victory over Dergview at Ferney Park on Saturday.

The home side got off to a great start as a Richard Clarke penalty and a Matty Smyth header had them two up after half an hour.

Dergview though pulled a goal back through Simon McGlynn just before half time and it was a battle in the second half as the Mallards held on for the win.

McConkey though acknowledged that the three points was the most important thing on Saturday.

“When you are in the situation that we are in, were you want to push on, another three points was important. On derby day you just want to be on the right side of the result and thankfully we were,” he said.

The Ducks boss though felt that McGlynn goal late in the first half gave Dergview momentum going in at the break.

“If you go in at half time leading 2-0 you feel that you are in control but I could smell their goal coming, even before our second goal there was a spell when they started to have half chances and starting to grow into the game.

“Maybe after we got our second goal the boys felt that was enough to get us into half time and then go again in the second half but their goal changed the whole team talk, they got oxygen going in at half time and you have to deal with that in the second half.”

Indeed, McConkey was full of praise for goalkeeper John Connolly who pulled off two fine stops to keep his side in front.

“Only for John Connolly’s two wonderful saves in the second half you would have seen a different result possibly but we held out and it is an important three points as it keeps the pressure on the teams ahead of us and also continues to build our own confidence,” he commented.