Ballinamallard manager Harry McConkey has conceded that the team’s hopes of securing promotion to the Premier League are all but over, following the last minute defeat to Dergview at Ferney Park on Saturday.

The defeat leaves the Mallards with a mountain to climb, and the manager has admitted that the ten point gap to second placed Annagh United is now too large to overhaul.

“Clearly now unless there is a complete collapse by Annagh and we win every game, there is absolutely no chance of us making that promotion spot,” he admitted.

“I am blown away with the many ways we can pop our own balloon, and we have done it in spectacular fashion this time, for sure.

“For the last few weeks we have played the same type of game. We have been in the game but then created problems, and then played panic football because we are chasing things. That is so frustrating.

“The players obviously don’t do it deliberately because there is such a big prize at stake, but we have not handled things well since Christmas and it seems the harder we work the more complex we make it for ourselves. I am gutted for all of them. Now we just have to play for pride.”

It all appeared to be going to plan for Ballinamallard in the first half as they reached the half time interval with a one goal advantage.

“We had the better of the exchanges in the first half, in terms of possession and also threat on goal,” reckoned McConkey.

“We had matched them in the middle of the field, and Sean McEvoy had done a very good job on Blaine Burns, who always tends to cause a lot of issues in there. We scored one of the best goals you will see and got ourselves in at half time very happy with the way things were going.”

The game changed in the second half, however, as Ballinamallard struggled to cope with a bright restart by the visitors after the interval.

“Our half time team talk was that the next goal would be vital and there could be no room for any dropping off,” revealed the manager.

“We needed to go out with the same attitude, but talking is one thing and doing is another, and we allowed them to come in on top of us and we gave a needless penalty away. What that does do is cause a bit of unnecessary concern in your team and while the save was exceptional and that should have been inspirational for us, we still got a little bit undisciplined and we seemed to not win our challenges as clean and quick.”

“We were out of our flow and trying to get back into it. Then BJ in a wide area races towards the ball and you are expecting him to make sure he wins it or take it in, but he volleys it back towards our defence between our two centre halves, straight to Jamie Browne who scores.

“There was still 35 minutes remaining and we went on the front foot, and at that point I felt that a win was still possible. We did raid, but yet again we didn’t work the keeper enough. Reece Byrne created a bit of magic in the box and BJ is on the penalty spot but blasts it over the bar.

“It was a golden chance for us to get on top, and I do believe that if we went 2-1 up, psychologically, considering the amount of the ball we had and knowing that a draw was no good to them, I think we would have seen the game out comfortably, but that we not to be. We just continued to not be able to get on the end of the final ball, or finish our chances.”

Their promotion challenge may be over, but Ballinamallard will get two more opportunities in the to avenge the defeat by their local rivals.

They travel to Darragh Park to take on Dergview in the final of the North West Cup this weekend, and the familiar foes then face off again the following Saturday in the first post-split game of the Championship season.

“Three weeks in a row we play Dergview, and I do believe that that is not healthy,” said McConkey.

“It is something that worried me all along with the split matches coming up, but to play a club three times in a row at any level of football is never healthy. This week we have a cup match and we will freshen things up for that because there are players who deserve that for their commitment to the squad. Then we go again to Dergview.

“We are where we are and the reality is that we have to pick ourselves up and run as fast as we can for what is left of the season, and play for our pride. That is really what we are fighting for now, and that starts this Saturday.”