Ballinamallard manager Harry McConkey admitted he had mixed feelings about Saturday’s opening day draw against Ballyclare Comrades.

The Mallards erased the memories of last year’s 5-1 defeat at the same venue with a solid performance that saw them get their promotion push off the mark with a point, but they were left to rue a missed penalty in the first half. “There is a bit of me disappointed we didn’t get some momentum with three points on the board , because you want that win as soon as you can, but equally, putting it into perspective, going away to a very difficult ground where there is a lot of enthusiasm from their supporters and with a new manager from the end of last season, we had a lot to deal with and I thought overall we dealt with it well,” he said.

“I had been saying last year that if we cannot win it, then make sure we don’t lose it, and I think that summed up Saturday.”

Ballinamallard started brightly and their early attacking intent saw them carve out several goalscoring opportunities, but their dominance was not rewarded by an early goal and in the end the manager was content with a share of the spoils.

“We started off like a house on fire and we were so positive and on the front foot, particularly on the left side with BJ (Banda) and Shaun (McDermott),” said McConkey.

“We had a water break in the first half, and while the players undoubtedly needed it and it was important, psychologically I think it threw us a little bit. We had been in a good flow and had them on the back foot, and there was only one team taking the game to the other and that was us. You just felt that one goal would make all the difference if we scored early. They got reorganised in that break and got a bit tighter to us and made things a bit more ugly for us.

“They started to grow into the game and put us under pressure at times. We were a little bit rusty in our decision making throughout the team, and got knocked off our stride.

“In the second half there was very little between the teams and at times it was a bit like basketball, up and down, but the quality in the last third from both teams was a bit disappointing. We needed to be more clinical in taking care on that last pass or finishing off the move.”

McConkey has overseen a significant change in playing personnel over the summer, and the manager gave debuts to Michael Lynch, Shaun McDermott and Peter Maguire from the start, with Ruairi Sludden making his first appearance from the bench along with the returning Shane McGinty. McConkey was delighted to see his new signings make a significant impact in their first match, backed up by several players who were restricted to occasional appearances last season.

“We have built a new squad to some degree this season and added some fresh faces and they all made an impression and showed they wanted to contribute,” he said. “Even when players who have played at a higher level come back into the Championship they do get a bit of shock, even the most experienced players. There is an adjustment to be made, and there are first day nerves when you are trying to make an impression, but I thought they coped admirably.

Next up for the Mallards is the visit of Championship new boys Newington to Ferney Park on Saturday. The Belfast side were promoted from the Premier Intermediate League and produced an eye catching display on their introduction to the Championship when they defeated Dergview 4-1 on the opening day.

“I have two or three of those players in my Regions Cup squad so I know what they are capable of,” said McConkey. “They have physicality in their team, and they have quality up front. They are very nippy, very sharp, and their captain Richard Gowdy is an outstanding player so they will embrace coming to us.”

Ballinamallard go into the match with almost a full squad to choose from. Reece and Darragh Byrne and Stevie Drumm have all returned from holidays and are in contention for selection, with the manager hoping Caolan McAleer will also have recovered in time for selection ahead of their first appearance of the season at Ferney Park.

“We all love it playing on our pitch, but unfortunately others teams love it too,” admitted the manager. “All credit to Mervyn and Alan and the grounds team who put a tremendous amount of work into it, and it is deserving of a big game. I think you will see a different game to last Saturday. In our game plan at Ballyclare we set out to go a little more direct and it was working, but with our pitch you can adapt to a different style and a different type of game. We want energy up top and the width the park allows us to have. It is a game we are looking forward to.”