Ballinamallard’s experienced centre half Mark Stafford feels that they players are letting down manager Harry McConkey and his staff with their performances at present with the former Linfield star particularly hard on his own display following Tuesday night’s League Cup exit away to Ballyclare Comrades.

The Mallards had appeared to be in the driving seat as they raced into a 2-0 led but a penalty, awarded for a handball by Stafford brought Ballyclare back into the game with the home side going on to win 4-2 after extra time.

“I have to take some personal responsibility for that defeat,” said Stafford. “There was wee moments; I gave away the penalty that gave them the lifeline. Then for their third, which was effectively the winner, my man makes a run across the front of me and I was happy enough because I tracked the run and he was going away from goal but he has took a shot and I’ve went to block it and it’s gone underneath my body and in slow motion into the bottom corner. I couldn’t believe it.

“At the end of the day, in those clutch moments you have to produce and do your job and I didn’t do that last night, and that killed us. I apologise for that performance, it wasn’t up to the standard that I set myself,” said Stafford.

It means that the Mallards are still awaiting that first win of the season following four draws and a loss in the league and Stafford believes that the players are letting down the management.

“I just feel as if myself and the players are letting Harry and the staff down at the minute. They have tried everything; playing players in different positions, we have changed formation to play three at the back and it worked well on Tuesday night as we were getting more bodies higher up the pitch and we were creating chances but we have to do better at the back and myself especially because I definitely came away from Tuesday night feeling that it was my responsibility that we got beat.”

The Ducks defender though believes that the quality is there to turn things around but they just have to get that first win to get them up and running.

“There is no doubt that confidence is a bit low now. The boys are giving it everything but it is not enough at the minute and we just need to get a result over the line and get our season going and get our confidence going. The quality is there, we just need to find a way to try and get a win,” he said.

Indeed, Stafford knows that this difficult period will stand to them when they do get things turned around.

“We have to try and put things right and we don’t have time to sit about feeling sorry for ourselves as we have a game against Ards.

“That’s football, I’ve been in changing rooms before when we have struggled but when you do turn it around you never forget those hard times. It fuels you and fires you on and when the good times do come you don’t take them for granted.

“At the minute we are going through a very hard time in the changing room but that will stand to us in the long run if we can turn it around, and I truly believe that we can,” he added.

And he is hoping that can start this Saturday when they host Ards at Ferney Park.

“You want to get that win sooner rather than later. Ards have been inconsistent but at the end of the day we have to go and try and get the three points.

“The Championship is a very unforgiving league and when you are down teams will stand on your neck and it is up to us to turn that around and do to other teams what they are doing to us at the minute,” he concluded.