Shane McGinty is back for a second spell at Ballinamallard, and this time around the 28 year old is looking to banish memories of relegation and help return the club to the top flight.

McGinty’s previous two-year spell with the Mallards from 2016 to 2018 saw the midfielder rack up 68 appearances and score nine goals, but his last competitive fixture for the club ended in heartbreak, when Fermanagh’s only Premier League side dropped out of the top division despite a 3-1 victory over Glentoran at the Oval.

Having spent injury disrupted spells at Ballymena United and Dungannon Swifts in the intervening years, McGinty is now happy to be back at Ferney Park.

“I am delighted to be back at Ballinamallard,” he said. “I am in a place now where I hope I can put a bit of a run together of being injury free and I’m looking forward to getting going this season. It’s good to be back. It’s nice knowing my surrounding and some familiar faces, and hopefully I can start quickly rather than taking a bit of time to get used to things.”

Since leaving Ballinamallard in June 2018 McGinty has suffered a succession of injuries including a ruptured groin and serious ankle problems, and as a result he has struggled to recapture the form that made him a crowd favourite at Ferney Park. McGinty is now approaching this season in hopeful mood, confident that his injury issues are a thing of the past.

“Hopefully that is all behind me,” he said. “Any time I played for Dungannon I thought I represented them quite well, but the position I was in with my injury meant I wasn’t in a place to commit because there was such a question mark over me. I went away and saw a specialist and worked hard, and it went very well. I was able to declare myself able to play for next season, and a number of clubs contacted me, but I wanted to go back to somewhere that would give me the opportunity to get back to the level I was at before.

“I knew Harry because I was there unfortunately when the club went down, and once I knew I was coming away from Dungannon I was only too delighted to go back to Ballinamallard.

“Hopefully, we can have a big year and we will see where that takes us. I am back at a place I have done well in the past, and hopefully we can do well this season. I have been working for the guts of three of four months to get ready, and I feel 100 percent now.”

McGinty is one of the more experienced faces in Harry McConkey’s squad for the upcoming season, but he reckons the balance of the squad puts them in a ideal position to challenge in what he predicts will be a tough Championship campaign.

“I think we are strong, and there is a good mix of youth and experience,” he said.

“There are the likes of Mark Stafford and Richard Clarke, but there is a lot of good young players coming through as well. I know Harry has added a few and there are some coming through the club, so its going to be a really competitive squad. I do think that the league is going to be really tough though. My prediction is that it is going to be tightest it has been for years, but I think we are looking good for it. It is a tough start away to Ballyclare but I don’t think there are many games that wouldn’t be classed as tough. Hopefully we can go there and be positive from the start.”

For those spectators who haven’t witnessed McGinty play before, he describes himself as a passionate player who is ready to give his all to ensure a successful season for the Mallards.

“I will certainly give 100 percent in every game and every training session with the club, and hopefully I can be a driving force on the pitch. I might be on the borderline of going over it at times, but hopefully I can bring energy and passion.”