Ballinamallard manager Mark Stafford hailed his side’s 4-1 victory over Newington as ‘very important’ as they halted a run of four league games without a win with a dominant and convincing display. 

The Mallards started the season with a win on the opening day but despite some encouraging spells in the following matches they had followed up the win in week one with two defeats and two draws, so the manager was desperate for his players to get back to winning ways.  

“It was a very, very important game for us,” admitted Stafford.  

“We hadn’t won since the start of the season and if you look at the league table, if we hadn’t won we would have been second from bottom.

"I know it is too early to be looking at league tables but it’s a big mental plus for us that we are up in the middle of the table and we are up competing. It was important to get the win.” 

The manager was not only encouraged by the result but also the performance of his team, who once again looked threatening in attacking areas.  

Having only scored four goals or more in three games during the entirety of the previous season, they have now scored four goals in three of their last four games.  

“We were absolutely brilliant in the first half,” said Stafford. “We got the ball into wide areas and Darragh Stewart and Jamie Dunne were causing all sorts of problems for them.

"The full-backs were up getting involved as well, and Danny Barker is always going to cause problems with his pace and energy. In the heat, we moved the ball well, and we went in two goals up and probably should have been a few more up.  

"The message at halftime was that we didn’t want to sit back on it. We wanted to try and push on and get another one or two. In the first five minutes, we didn’t really come out I thought.  

"We expected a reaction from Newington and we sort of rode out that storm. They scored from a well-worked corner kick, and it was disappointing not to keep a clean sheet, but I thought there were really good performances throughout the team and a huge work ethic in that heat to get the result.” 

Ballinamallard led 2-0 at halftime, and the manager admitted that he was thinking about the two previous occasions this season they had let a two-goal lead slip, but it was not part of his halftime team talk.  

“It was the elephant in the room, but I didn’t go down that road at all,” he said. “I spoke to the staff before we went in at half time and I said I wasn’t going to mention that. I wanted us to build on the two-nil lead. I wasn’t going to talk about what happened before.

"I did that in previous weeks and it didn’t work. I wanted us to keep doing what we had been doing and focussing on what our jobs were and not giving them an easy way back into the game.” 

Scoring the third goal settled any nerves, with the vital strike coming from Darragh Stewart.

Along with Tiarnan Campbell, he was one of two 20-year-olds making their first league start for the club, and the manager admitted he was delighted with the efforts of both new signings.  

“I am really pleased and really proud of the two boys. I thought they were excellent,” said Stafford. 

“It was a difficult game for Tiarnan.  Newington play with three forwards and I showed him clips during the week about what he was going to be up against. It’s a different type of game he had to play, very direct, and it was nearly one v one a lot of the time.

"It was challenging but he equipped himself really well. I think he had a nervy first five or ten minutes but once he got settled he did well. Tiarnan’s quality will come through at this club I’m sure of that. He is very talented. A good player.” 

“Likewise, Darragh Stewart. I tried to get him to the club last January and I couldn’t get him over the line because of registration issues, so I was delighted to get him this summer.

"I know the talent he has and the pace he has. The way he trains and looks after himself, he is really talented and that is the type of player I want to be playing on Ferney on the big grass pitch where we can get the ball wide and cause people problems. He is direct and dangerous and that is what he did on Saturday, and he got his goal.” 

Next up for Ballinamallard is another home game this Saturday, this time against Institute.

Stute are still looking for their first league win of the current season and sit at the foot of the Championship table, but Stafford is adamant there will be no complacency from his players.  

“They are going to win a game at some stage and we have to make sure it is not against us,” he said.  “They will be coming here with no fear because any time they come here they usually get something out of the game.

"They have done in previous seasons, so we will be under no illusions about how tough it will be. We will be prepared as best as we can for them.”