Ballymena United Football CLUB NEWS

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  This week Sky Blue Rewind hears from a hometown hero who scored twice on his senior debut against this week's opposition, Cliftonville, back in 1970
 

Dessie Orr grew up in Chichester Park in Harryville and trod the well worn footballing path of numerous young players of his era from Harryville Primary School to the Intermediate School for Boys via Harryville Boys Brigade.
 

"I played alongside John Sloan at both primary and secondary school although he was one or two years younger than me. John was really strong and a very good footballer too," recalled Dessie. "I still have school team and BB photographs in scrapbooks which my father filled with pictures and match reports from right through my career."
 

A lean and wiry winger, Dessie Orr enjoyed success in schools football often playing in older year groups. His ability and pace hadn't gone unnoticed and at the age of fourteen he was turning out regularly for the youth team at the Showgrounds, then known as Ballymena Strollers, under the watchful eye of Billy Cubitt, a member of United's revered 1958 Irish Cup winning team.
 

"We actually played men's football and took part in the local leagues as there was no organised youth league. You'd have had a youth game against the likes of Linfield or Glentoran in a cup competition once a season but there wasn't an underage league for us to be in. I moved up into the reserve team soon after and again it was mostly men's teams I'd have been playing against in B Division football."
 

A niggling injury in the lead up to a major school football final led to his career taking a big step forward.
 

"We were due to play in the O'Kane Cup Final for the Intermediate School which was the senior football competition for local schools. I had a bit of pain behind my knee which was troubling me so our PE teacher, Alex McKee, who managed Ballymena in later years, insisted that I go and have it seen to at the Showgrounds by the trainer Billy McCready. While I was there I bumped into the first team manager Alex McCrae. He said to me in his thick Scottish accent, 'Young Orr, I'm hearing great reports about you playing in the Reserves, how would you like to sign for Ballymena?'
 

I replied sheepishly that I already was but as he pointed out, I was only signed for Ballymena Strollers. He was offering me an opportunity with the first team."
 

The schoolboy winger could barely believe his good fortune and signed there and then without thinking about signing-on fees or a weekly wage before returning to the Intermediate to complete his afternoon lessons.
 

"When I arrived back in school I met Alex McKee who was livid with me when he found out what I had done. As far as Alex was concerned he thought I could do much better than my hometown team and told me in no uncertain terms. I had to explain that I had watched Ballymena United since I was able to walk and they were my team so signing for Ballymena was at that time the extent of my ambition."
 

In October 1970, Dessie received a call up to the first team for a City Cup tie against Cliftonville.
 

"I'd had a few good games for the reserve team and scored a goal which had put Linfield Swifts out of the Steel and Sons Cup. Back then Ballymena were involved in a set of fixtures where they ended up playing Cliftonville five times in a month. Initially there were three drawn games in the Gold Cup before we were due to meet again in the City Cup. Jimmy Martin was our main striker and he was going through something of a lean spell so he was left out of the side and I came in to replace him."
 

There weren't much in the way of night-before nerves for the teenager as he recalled.
 

"I was still in Harryville BB and the night before my first team debut I was up in Ballykeel collecting charity envelopes round the doors!"
 

The game couldn't have gone any better for 16-year-old Orr. After a goalless first half, he headed the ball into the net in the 56th minute to open the scoring after Scottish striker Stan Vincent's initial effort had been cleared off the line.
 

Centre-back Bobby Averell added a second three minutes later before Orr scored his second of the game. Arthur Stewart's corner kick had been punched clear by the Reds' keeper but Orr hammered home the rebound to make it three goals to nil in the 71st minute. Fellow Harryville man Quinton McFall netted the fourth to complete the rout.
 

As a young lad, Orr might have wilted in a game with many more experienced players on show but as he told us, his team mates were nothing but helpful to the teenager.
 

"The first team players were great. Arthur Stewart had returned to Ballymena from Derby County that summer and as far as I was concerned he had seen and done it all. Bobby Averell was just a total gentleman and Tommy Gowdy was also a great help."
 

Four days later, Orr retained his placed in the first team as United and Cliftonville sought to bring a conclusion to their Gold Cup saga which had now gone to a third replay. For the young Harryville man, it was a tough lesson after his debut day heroics.
 

"I'd had a good game on the Saturday against the Cliftonville full back but on the Wednesday he was ready for me. It was a wet day and the pitch was in really bad shape. After a few bad tackles i got caught with his stud right on the shin bone. I never wore shin guards, back then there was no rule, so I was carried off and we ended up losing the game by two goals to one."
 

After recovering from the injury, Dessie took his time going back to the Showgrounds fold having started working as an apprentice joiner. His return a season later brought him back to reserve team football where he continued his development under another United great, John 'Smudger' Smith.
 

Dessie's first team comeback came in 1973 and Arthur Stewart, now two years into his managerial tenure, was filling his first team with a nucleus of homegrown talent.
 

"I loved playing in that Ballymena team with mainly local lads, some of whom I had grown up with. George and Jeff Blair were from Harryville, Quinton (McFall) and Sammy McAuley were both from Chichester Park and we travelled together. John Sloan came into that team, there was Jimmy Young and then you had Arthur himself."
 

Necessity had been the mother of invention for manager Stewart who was missing first team stars Bobby Averell, who spent the summer playing in Toronto, and Sammy Frickleton, serving a prison sentence, among others. His young charges didn't let him down though and by the time spring came around in 1974, the Sky Blues had reached the Irish Cup Final.
 

"We beat Linfield at Windsor, then reigning champions Crusaders in the quarter final by seven goals to one then there was a bit of a marathon semi-final against Larne at Seaview which went to two replays and a penalty shootout. I'd scored against Crusaders but didn't do well against Larne. Seaview was a place where I don't recall ever having a good game, I preferred Windsor Park or The Oval. It meant I missed out on the final against Ards though I was 13th man in the panel and went with the team on the day."
 

International recognition had come a few weeks earlier as Dessie played for the Northern Ireland Amateur international side in the British Championship against Wales in Denbigh. Ex-United star and now Liverpool scout Geoff Twentyman had also been impressed while interest had been shown by other cross-channel clubs.
 

"I was never interested in leaving Ballymena and was happy enough at the club. People might laugh at that now but I was just a wee boy from Harryville who went to the local school and the BB and was happy with that. A big day out for us was the annual Sunday school outing to the coast, there were no big holidays back then. Arthur would have came and said this club or that club was asking about me but I'd have said 'Harryville Bridge is as far as I'll be going."
 

Orr put his Irish Cup Final disappointment behind him a few months later when United reached the Gold Cup Final in November 1974. Still only twenty years old, he was into his second full season as a first team regular.
 

"We beat Linfield and Coleraine to reach that final and we were to face Glentoran who had won the league a few months before. They were a very good team and had players such as Johnny Jamison and Warren Feeney up front and younger lads like Billy Caskey and Victor Moreland who both went to Derby County."
 

Under the Windsor Park lights, United overcame favourites Glentoran for a deserved win. Midfielder Jimmy Brown opened the scoring before Glentoran hit back and took the lead with goals either side of half-time. Dessie Orr latched on to Barry Brown's through ball and netted an equaliser in the 58th minute before Quinton McFall scored the best goal of the evening to bring the Gold Cup to Ballymena for the first time.
 

"I always felt we had a much better Cup team back then. We could just never find the consistency to challenge for the league title. We could beat the big two but then we were unable to beat the teams who were closer to us in the table. Glentoran had our backs to the wall at one point but failed to take any of the numerous chances they created. Our goalkeeper Bobby Brown made some exceptional saves that night.
 

I can remember Rab McCreery, the Glentoran defender, coming in to our changing room before the game to see Bobby Averell with whom he was quite friendly. He asked Bobby what we were on to win the final. Bobby told him we were going to get £3 from the club and another £2 from the social club. Rab explained that as the prize money was £1,000 they had negotiated a deal where by they would have an £80 win bonus. It was a big incentive for us to stop them wnning!"
 

Dessie added a County Antrim Shield medal a season later as new manager Eddie Russell picked up his first trophy a handful of weeks into the job as United put four goals past Distillery at Inver Park.
 

Club legend Russell had a disastrous time as the main stand at the Showgrounds was destroyed in a fire in September 1976. Home games were played on the reserve team pitch and training took place on waste ground. United didn't win a game until late November and things didn't improve much from then onwards.
 

"Eddie was just really unlucky as manager. He was all time leading appearance maker and had the respect of all the players. The whole scenario after the fire was just awful."
 

Russell lost his job and was replaced by former Crusaders manager Billy Johnston. After a chat with the new boss in the summer of 1977, Dessie Orr knew his Showgrounds days were numbered.
 

"Billy told me early on he wanted to include me in the swap deal to bring centre back Ronnie McCullough to the club if I was prepared to go to Bangor. To be honest I had no interest in a move but they were very keen on me and I played just a handful of times there before injuring my achilles tendon. I was advised by a specialist to rest it for six months and after that I just didn't go back to Bangor although they retained my registration. I had a wife and started a family and my priorities had changed. I hadn't ever played football for any kind of big money and so my work was my main source of income for my family."
 

Alex McKee briefly coaxed Orr out of his premature retirement a few years later when his old P.E. teacher was manager at Chimney Corner but it was a short-lived episode.
 

Now in his early Seventies, lifelong Everton follower Dessie is still an occasional watcher of the first team at the Showgrounds but is a regular spectator at the Ballymena United Youth Academy under-15 team where his grandson Jack plays as a striker.
 

From scoring a double on his debut to starring in a United side teeming with local talent, Dessie Orr got to live out his childhood footballing dreams playing 136 times for his hometown team and scoring 13 goals.
 

"The day I left Ballymena United was the day I lost interest in playing football. When I was a young boy it was all I wanted to do, from the youth team through the Reserves and on to the first team. I had watched Ballymena since I could walk and my father took me by the hand to the Showgrounds and they were always my team."

Davy moves to another Sports Bond win 

Davy Millar (A5052) from Kells was a £50 winner this week and we are sure he is delighted. During recent months Davy had moved house but thankfully Sports Bond were able to track him down to his new home. It  will also cheer Davy up as he has been feeling under the weather lately. Davy was a Major winner last year and has had previous wins. 

Over in Cullybackey there was a win on the agency of Julie Moore for William Gillespie (A5630). This week proved to be another week dominated by Male member wins.

The Minor category saw wins for three members who have all been previous winners. Sky Blue fan Ronnie Clarke (5630) was a winner on the Development committee run by Nigel McIlrath. Gintares Rinys (A3149) was a winner on the agency of Alastair Shaw. Alex Beverland had a £10 winner with Peter Smith (A9591)

The Jackpot numbers 12 14 17 27 saw no Jackpot allocated so the Jackpot is now £650 for this week Join Sports Bond now in our 25th Anniversary year on 07831 803970

Agents News 

All at Sports Bond Agents and Members were deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of James ( Aaron) Hunter. Aaron was a son of Sports Bond agent Francine Warwick who only recently stepped down as an agent at the Horse n Jockey. We extend our Heartfelt Sympathy to Francine and Family at this difficult and sad time. Many Sports Bond agents and Members were present at the funeral. 

We send best wishes to Nat and Shauna Balmer who celebrated their wedding anniversary on Sunday. 

Birthday wishes are extended to Barbara Gillespie who will celebrate her birthday on Thursday and to Chloe Nelson and Pearl Fleming who  both celebrate their birthday next Sunday. 

First Score 

It was the second half before the opening goal was scored on 63 minutes (62 mins 17 sec). Finley Thorndike was the scorer but as of yet we have had no claims for 63 minutes. If you have a winning card please contact Brian Thompson on 07831 803970 

Grand Sports Draw 

Fancy a trip to see Twice Champion league winners Paris St Germain? Well you can if you win the First prize in our fantastic Grand Sports Draw. Once again we have to thank Jonathan Calderwood of PSG for the sponsorship of two Match tickets and more so to George Stirling for the sponsorship of flights which is an incredible gesture. 

This is an incredible Sports Draw with prizes galore to satisfy all sporting interests. Second prize is a Golf Fourball at the stunning  Carndhu golf club. Third prize is wonderful trip to Raceview Karting. Fourth prize sponsored by Lynn and Brewster is two tickets for an Ulster Rugby fixture. Fifth prize sponsored by Love Property is two tickets for the Belfast Giants. 

Tickets are in Distribution priced at £5. Please support the club and get your ticket for the Grand Sports Draw 

As the cliché says, form goes out the window in a derby so this week Sky Blue Rewind takes a look back to a game in Coleraine where a Ballymena team upset the odds on the Ballycastle Road back in 2000. Two-goal hero on the night Scott Drummond shares his memories with Johnny Doak for Sky Blue Rewind.
 

Born in Glasgow, Scott Drummond arrived in Ballymena as a 14-year-old having moved across to Northern Ireland with his family. Football-mad Scott didn't take long to settle and soon progressed to playing Saturday Morning League football for Galgorm Blues. His ability and determination as a young striker caught the eye of Ballymena United Reserves manager Jimmy Young in the mid-nineties and soon the young Scotsman was part of the squad at the Showgrounds as he recalled...
 

"I played a couple of years in the Reserves and managed to score a right few goals. My first game in the big team came at the end of the season in the Irish News Cup Final."
 

The short-lived cross-border competition saw the Sky Blues reach the final twice losing firstly to Omagh Town in 1998 and then in 1999, United faced off with Finn Harps for the trophy.
 

"I remember it so well. We went up to a wee hotel in Ballybofey before the game. I was coming off a really good season with the Reserves so even just being included in that squad was really good for me. Shay Hamill was picking the team that night so a few of the younger lads got to play. I got on for the last ten minutes in place of Chimpy [Jason Stevenson] and it was really nerve wracking being involved in the first team but I can always say I got a medal, albeit a losers' one, in my first senior game!"
 

The summer saw managerial upheaval with the already departed Alan Frazer being succeeded by former Bangor and Glenavon boss Nigel Best. United had begun the campaign with four consecutive draws as the new era got off to a slow start. Injuries were starting to thin out the squad and by the beginning of September, 23-year-old Drummond was in United's starting eleven facing Linfield at Windsor Park one week and reigning champions Glentoran at the Showgrounds seven days later.
 

At the end of the month, Ballymena were still winless but Scott Drummond's name made the score sheet for the first time with a 90th minute equaliser in a one-all home draw with Crusaders.
 

"I remember it came from a long ball which was flicked on by Glenn Hunter. I started running with the ball towards goal. My first instinct was to cut inside as the Crues' centre-back Glenn Dunlop was blocking my path to goal. I went to shoot and then skipped a tackle and kept going across the goal and then decided to just hit it back across the face of the goal and in it went. It was a surreal feeling and I wasn't sure what to do with like a celebration but the adrenaline was really pumping at that point."
 

United's season didn't improve a lot and with Scott a regular feature in the first team, they miraculously escaped relegation on the final day of the season with a glorious win at Portadown moving the team from tenth place (bottom) to eighth over the course of an afternoon.
 

Off-field financial pressures bit hard that summer and Ballymena Premier Intermediate League striker Michael Dillon from Drummond United was the only arrival to a squad which saw the departure of some experienced campaigners.
 

The first day of the season saw United snatch a point with a late goal in a 2-2 draw at home to Cliftonville. A week later at a sun-kissed Oval, Best's boys again managed to salvage a late point after Scott Drummond came off the bench to nod home an equaliser against Glentoran.
 

"I'd only came on with about five minutes to go and the game was still scoreless. Then Darren Lockhart scored at the start of injury time for the Glens and everyone thought that was game over. We went up the field and got a corner. For some reason I had a real wee angry head on me, I'm not sure why but I was so determined to get on the ball from the corner. Kieran Loughran sent the ball in and I just stepped forward and met it with my head and put it straight into the net from just inside the six yard box. I couldn't understand why no-one challenged me, maybe they forgot about me because I was so small!"
 

United were then hit with a shock as top scorer and team captain Glenn Hunter announced he was going to be unavailable for the next five months as he was going to train as a fire fighter.
 

Nine days later the Sky Blues made the journey north to Coleraine very much as underdogs against a home side who were being touted as title challengers. Following the Hunter announcement and his late goal at The Oval, Scott Drummond got the nod to play up front alongside Michael Dillon and both players would have a massive bearing on the outcome of the game.
 

"They couldn't cope with Micky Dillon that night, he ran their back four absolutely ragged." After another Dillon run early in the second half, the visitors took the lead as Scott explained, "Micky was going down the left again and ran past their right back. I'd always been told to get into the box in those situations because you never knew where the ball could end up. I bolted towards the box, Micky took his shot and their keeper palmed it out and it fell straight in my path just how I imagined it unfolding. The only thing I could think was 'don't sky this!' but thankfully I rolled it in from a few yards out. I managed to get tangled up in the goal net after I scored, I think Davy Calderwood came to my rescue. But to score that goal was an unbelievable feeling."
 

Minutes later Scott was really on cloud nine as Ballymena doubled their lead.
 

"Dillon got the ball again from a throw and he hit a deep cross on the turn with his right foot and it seemed to come in quite high. I was hanging off the shoulder of Alfie Stewart and I think he may have got caught under the ball but I was in just the right place. Whichever way the ball came off my head deceived their keeper and it just kind of looped in from six yards out."
 

United held on to their lead and ran out 2-0 winners to leave them three games unbeaten at the start of the season. Drummond's goalscoring run continued and he scored three in the next five games before United's form dropped off a cliff.
 

Just one league win through October and November put Nigel Best under immense pressure and a 5-2 loss at Newry on the first weekend of December saw him depart his post. Kenny Shiels was appointed early in the new year but Scott Drummond felt his time was coming to an end.
 

"My confidence had gone and I wasn't enjoying football. I had a chat with Kenny and there were no hard feelings. He was bringing his own players in and it just felt like the right time to go. There was a bit of a clear out taking place and I was actually warming up behind the goal one day at Portadown and heard someone shout 'you'll be next Drummond!' The team went on to be relegated and when I left I was leading scorer on eight goals and at the end of the season I was still leading scorer even though I'd left in February!"
 

Spells with Larne and Ballymoney United followed before he finished his career with a four year spell at Wakehurst who were then playing in the Championship.
 

Over twenty five years later, Scott reflected on his time at Ballymena with many positive memories of his playing time and his team mates.
 

"Busty and some of the Belfast lads were real characters and there was a good bunch of locals too. Then you had John Gregg who was just a complete rocket! I remember we trained one really bad, wet night and John arrived in his training kit. After training, Bertnel had the big bath filled and it was one of those nights you really looked forward to a hot soak. I was getting dried when I got out and couldn't see my clothes.
I was searching all round but they weren't to be found. It turned out John had jumped out of the bath and put my clothes on as he was taking a girl to the cinema or something and he only had his training kit with him! Of course that meant I had to put mine back on for the drive home.
 

Look, I got to do what a lot of young lads want to do. I got the chance to play for my local team and was lucky enough to do so and managed to score a few goals along the way."

As United prepare for a trip to the North Down coast on Saturday, Sky Blue Rewind looks back almost forty years to the day when Ballymena enjoyed a 1-0 victory at Clandeboye Park against Bangor in mid-September 1986. This week Johnny Doak chatted to the goalscorer from that day, Davy McAlinden....
 

After the euphoria of the early 1980s, Ballymena United made every effort to recapture those glory years which had seen the team capture several trophies and become regular European travellers. Alan Campbell, first team manager from 1979 to early 1982 had returned in 1984 in an attempt to recreate the magic, but walked away after one season.
 

Press speculation suggested former Glentoran boss Ronnie McFall, Chimney Corner manager Alex McKee and even old United favourite Arthur Stewart were in the frame for the job, but former Carrick Rangers and Cliftonville supremo Jimmy Brown was appointed in May 1985. Brown was no stranger to the Showgrounds having played over a hundred times for the club in the mid-Seventies. After tying down some of the squad he inherited on to new contracts, Brown raided one of his previous clubs to make his first signing in late June.
 

Davy McAlinden was a bustling striker, an old-fashioned number nine, who had scored over twenty goals for Cliftonville in the 1983-84 season and United paid the Solitude club £4,000 to secure his services. Though he was coming off a less prolific season, twenty-three-year-old McAlinden was recruited to pair up with Ballymena's teenage goalscoring ace Jonathan Speak.
 

A former Northern Ireland Youth international, McAlinden had kicked off his Irish League career at Distillery as he remembered.
 

"I was playing for a team called Cregagh Swifts, who were a well-known underage team in Belfast, and was recommended for the youth international squad by a gentleman called Billy Neill who had a long association with Glentoran. You had to be connected to a senior club to play for the Northern Ireland Youth team, so I was talked into signing for Distillery."
 

McAlinden enjoyed an excellent international campaign in 1980 scoring one of the goals in a 2-0 win over Wales at Seaview in a decisive qualifier for the European Championships in Leipzig, East Germany
 

"We had a really good side. There were two Ballymena lads in the team, Tony McCall and Nigel Worthington, and the goalkeeper was Ricky Adair who played in goal when I signed for Ballymena. Big Davy [Jeffrey] played in that team too."

After returning to Cregagh, a chance meeting with an old Distillery coach brought Davy McAlinden back into the senior game.
 

"Ronnie McQuillan had been number two at the Whites and had just become Cliftonville manager, I met him in Belfast one day and he asked me to go to the Reds. Being a Shankill Road boy and with how things were at the time I was a bit dubious about going but I had a great time at Solitude."
 

After being top goalscorer two years in a three-year spell with the North Belfast side, McAlinden arrived at the Showgrounds with a bang scoring on his debut against Newry Town in an Ulster Cup defeat on the opening day of the season in 1985-86. He was part of a team filled with talent yet one that was plagued by inconsistency.
 

"Ballymena had some great players back then. When I first arrived, big Brian Crockard was my training partner, he was just a big gentleman, a really consistent centre-back. I remember during pre-season, Browner's regular exercise was a twelve-minute run. John Heron and Jim Scott were two young lads in the squad and they took off at the start and were away ahead of us all. Someone said, 'don't worry, we'll catch them up' but I think they lapped us twice!"
 

After a woeful Ulster Cup campaign, United set out to claim one of the top four places in the Gold Cup table which would have taken the team to a semi-final, but their poor form dogged them again. However, when the team clicked, they clicked, as a five-goal home win over Crusaders at the end of September proved, with the mercurial Colin O'Neill netting twice.
 

"What a player Colin was," recalled McAlinden, "he was outstanding in that midfield with Ronnie Burns. You had Stevie Conville as well, he never stopped running and Speaky [Johnny Speak] was another great player."
 

A chance of some trophy success did come early that season as favourable draws took the Sky Blues to a Hallowe'en final in the County Antrim Shield against lowly Distillery at The Oval.
 

"We were big favourites that night but ended up losing by three goals to one, I was left out of the squad and I was livid. I left the ground and drove home only to come back across town and pay in at the gate and watch the game. Browner came to me at the weekend and said he'd made a mistake, so I started the next game at Portadown and scored in a 5-2 win."
 

Although United's patchy results led to a mid-table League finish, Davy McAlinden's goal tally passed double figures in an encouraging first season at Ballymena. The United hierarchy put their faith in Jimmy Brown for another year and the squad remained largely the same though local boy John Garrett arrived from Linfield to fill the defensive gap left after the untimely death of Brian Crockard.
 

For Davy McAlinden, goals proved harder to come by and his last one in a Sky-Blue shirt came from the penalty spot in that instantly forgettable game at Clandeboye Park back in September 1986 before a move to Carrick Rangers where he closed out his career. McAlinden wouldn't be a stranger at the Showgrounds though as he went on to explain.
 

"My son David signed for Ballymena in 2000 after playing in the Milk Cup for Joe McCall. It was really because of Joe's influence that he came to the club then Kenny Shiels put him in the first team the following January. As he was still very young I had to drive him to training and matches so I became a regular at the Showgrounds."
 

Becoming latest in a unique list father-son duos to play for the club, McAlinden junior enjoyed a flying start to his United career winning a supporters club Player of the Month award within weeks of his debut.
 

"In one of his first games, my old team mate John Garrett was there on behalf of a sponsor and he selected David as man of the match. I think he still has the bottle of champagne!"
 

After a playing career that saw him represent the same four clubs his father played for, as well as spells at Crusaders and Glenavon, he took on managerial jobs at Carrick and Larne before moving to Amateur League football.
 

Davy McAlinden Senior rarely sees an Irish League match these days though he still likes to keep an eye on his son's progress.
 

"I never watch Irish League football these days though David is now manager of Shankill United in Division 1A of the Amateur League so if I'm at a game, that's where it'll be."
 

Ballymena United can confirm the Deadline Day signing of defender Kodi Lyons-Foster, who arrives on a short term loan deal from Coleraine.

The 29-year-old Englishman joins the Sky Blues for the first half of the Boyle Sports Premiership season, with his loan spell lasting until January to give United a further option in their defensive line as cover with Jonny Addis currently ruled out with injury.
 

Having played in the academies of both Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, Lyons-Foster spent a number of years in England's National League, playing for the likes of Braintree Town and Aldershot, where he had his best spell.

In 2024, Kodi joined Glentoran and an impressive season at the Oval saw Coleraine move to bring him in, as Lyons-Foster became Ruaidhri Higgins' first marquee signing. He made twenty-two appearances last campaign.

Speaking to the club following confirmation of his loan move, Kodi is excited to get going:
 

"Playing against Ballymena, particularly at the Showgrounds, has always been a tough fixture. When you look at the squad, with the additions this summer, it's really exciting. It's a great football club and I can't wait to get started and pick up as many points as possible in these next months."

Oran Kearney also outlined the reasons for bringing Kodi in:
 

"With Jonny Addis picking up his injury in pre-season and the timeline we now have on that, it was important we brought in good quality cover. Kodi knows the league well and ticks all our boxes and we're looking forward to working with him until January."
 

Ballymena United are pleased to announce the signing of attacking midfielder Finley Thorndike from Crusaders.
 

The 24-year-old Englishman arrives on Warden Street as part of a swap deal with Crusaders that sees Donal Rocks move in the opposite direction.
 

Thorndike made over thirty appearances for the Crues following his signing last summer, including starting their opening game of this season in the North Belfast derby. Finley's first taste of Irish Premiership football came at Glentoran, where he made twenty-nine appearances during his one year stay at The Oval two seasons ago.
 

An exciting midfielder with bundles of creativity, Thorndike came through the youth set up's at both Aston Villa and his boyhood club Birmingham City, including a loan spell with Boston United, but it was from Birmingham's U21 side that he made the move to Northern Ireland. Thorndike had represented Villa in the EFL Cup and Premier League 2.
 

Speaking for the first time as a Sky Blue, Finley said:
 

"I was really excited to get this deal done after speaking to the board and manager. It has all happened so quickly, but I'm looking forward to meeting the lads. I know one or two of them and they seem a great group. I'm just really excited to show the fans and the team what I'm about."
 

Manager Oran Kearney also spoke about why the club have moved to bring Thorndike in:
 

"Finley's a player who can make things happen and unlock a door. When we lost Ben Kennedy it was important we looked for a similar type of player who can have a real impact at the top end of the pitch. He comes across a great lad and we're looking forward to working with him."

Sky Blue Rewind goes us back almost fifty years to relive a landmark visit from Glentoran to the Showgrounds through the eyes of Ballymena's goalscorer on the day, Billy McAvoy.
 

Born and brought raised in Greyabbey, Co Down, Billy McAvoy's senior football career kicked off at the tender age of sixteen playing for his local side Ards.

"I made my debut against Crusaders at Seaview playing on the wing. I was always a striker but as I was just a young lad, the manager played me initially as a winger," he explained.
 

McAvoy's obvious talent was scoring goals and he was soon making a name for himself in the Irish League and beyond.
 

"I played in what would have been known as the inside-right position and wore the number eight jersey, playing just off the centre-forward. We got to the Irish Cup Final in 1969 and after a scoreless draw with Distillery, we won the replay in extra time."
 

Twenty-year-old Billy was the hero for the North Down outfit scoring all four goals in a 4-2 win although he had one regret from the game...
 

"I missed a sitter near the end and should really have scored five. I don't think anyone else would ever have achieved that again scoring five goals in an Irish Cup Final."
 

Cross channel clubs came calling and following his Cup final heroics, Billy went to Stoke City on trial but due to a knee injury he had suffered in the final, nothing came of it.
 

Billy played his part in Ards famous four-trophy winning campaign in 1973-74 but after a couple more seasons, he felt it was time to move on from the club where he had spent thirteen years as a player scoring almost three hundred goals in just over four hundred games.
 

"I just felt I had gotten stale at Ards and needed a change."
 

McAvoy's transfer request in October 1977 alerted a number of interested Irish League clubs and the week before Halloween, Billy became a Ballymena United player.
 

The new striker's first game was to be a Gold Cup tie at the Showgrounds against a formidable Glentoran side who were the reigning League champions and Gold Cup holders and who were fresh from a thrilling European Cup tie against Juventus at The Oval just days before.
 

"The Glens were a great side," Billy recalled. "Arthur Stewart was their manager and they had players like Warren Feeney, Rab McCreery and Alex Robson. You always knew you were in a game against those lads."
 

22nd October 1977 was something of a gala day at Ballymena Showgrounds as United were back playing on the main arena having spent the previous nine months playing home games on the "Wee Showgrounds" pitch (located where the current 4g pitch is now).
 

New changing rooms, club offices and a players' lounge had been erected underneath the old O'Kane's Stand and were officially opened before the game by Northern Ireland manager Danny Blanchflower.
 

A sponsorship deal had also been announced with Northern Ireland Datsun car distributors, Phillips Ltd, making United the only side in the League at that point with a shirt sponsor.
 

As part of the deal, the football club had been donated a brand-new car as a raffle prize. The vehicle was driven around the stock car track pre-match by former Manchester United and Scotland striker Denis Law.
 

"There was a huge crowd there that day, and I remember us playing in a new strip with Phillips Datsun on the front," Billy said, "and there was a thunderstorm during the first half as well!"
 

The game itself started at a breakneck pace with the visitors scoring after six minutes when Billy Caskey powerfully headed home Warren Feeney's cross. Two minutes later Feeney had a goal chalked off for offside. In the tenth minute, McAvoy equalised with his first touch of the ball when Tom Sloan's shot came back off the post and the debut boy scored from the rebound.
 

Glentoran bossed the game for long periods but were unable to find a second goal. The match erupted in the last ten minutes when Glens' defender Rab McCreery received a red card (a rarity in those days) in the 83rd minute. Four minutes later, the home fans were ecstatic as Billy McAvoy rose to head the winning goal from Ronnie Butcher's inch-perfect cross.
 

"It was a great way to finish my debut," smiled Billy, "and the good thing was there was barely any injury time played back then. The final whistle normally was blown as soon as the ninety minutes were up."
 

By Billy's own admission, things didn't go the way he'd have liked at the Showgrounds.
 

"Unfortunately, it didn't really work out for me at Ballymena. I started to pick up injuries, and I never really got going which was a real disappointment as the club were really good to me."

Despite his own regrets about his time at the club, Billy played a major part in United's 1978 Irish Cup run.

"I scored in every round that year including the goal that put my old club Ards out of the competition in the quarter-final down on the wee pitch. I picked up another injury that day and although I scored again in the semi-final against Crusaders, I was out for the final against Linfield which we lost 3-1."
 

After a stop-start season in 1978-79, McAvoy opted to retire from football after manager Billy Johnston was relieved of his duties.
 

"Alan Campbell came in and he said he could get me a move but playing on didn't appeal to me. I'd made my reputation as a goalscorer and moving down the league wasn't something I wanted to do so I was happier just to call it quits."

Billy returned to United in the early nineties as reserve team manager under first team boss Jim Hagan. After initial reluctance, Billy enjoyed his coaching role.
 

"I never really had an interest in management or coaching but Jim insisted he wanted me there. Ballymena had some really good players at the time like John Heron and Goosey Young and it was a good set-up to be part of. For someone who had played in the top division in England and also in Spain, Jim was a very modest guy but he was a real football man."
 

Now aged 77, Billy lives in East Belfast and still maintains a healthy interest in local football.
 

"I live close to where Sirocco Works play so I watch them and I also follow the fortunes of Rosemount Rec who are from my home village in Greyabbey. I'm also involved with a new initiative called Players Against Dementia which helps support former footballers who suffer from this condition."
     

  With the season opener at Linfield fast approaching, Johnny Doak caught up with the last United player to score a winner for the Sky Blues in a League game at Windsor Park.
 

When Dom Melly's goal gave Ballymena United a 1-0 win at Windsor Park in October 2004 - few would have thought the wait would continue for almost 22 years for a repeat.

Newtownabbey winger Dom Melly had joined Ballymena United as a 16 year-old back in 2003, as he explained.

"I'd played for County Antrim Under-16s at the Milk Cup for Sammy McVicker, who was manager of the reserve team at Ballymena United. I'd actually played a year up in 2002 and then with my own age group the following year. Sammy brought about six or seven of us to the Showgrounds at that time and although I was just 16, I went straight into Reserve team football without playing for the Youth team and then myself and a few of the other lads eventually made it into the first team."

Dom's debut came in a League game at Windsor Park in November 2003 when he came on as a second half substitute. After making a couple more appearances that season, his real first team breakthrough came the following season.

"I played all my youth football as a central midfielder but then Kenny [Shiels] pushed me out on to the wing so I played there quite a bit for the first team. We had a few really experienced lads such as Gary Smyth, Nigel Boyd, Jamie Marks and Tim McCann, and of course Oran Kearney was a first team player then too. Albert Watson had been a regular for a couple of seasons, though he was still very young."

Dom began to feature more regularly as a first teamer just as the League campaign was kicking off in late September 2004 following the completion of the League Cup. After an opening day loss, Shiels' side won two and drew one before the Sky Blues made their annual visit to face Linfield on October 23rd. Traditionally a tough fixture for United, their last League victory at Windsor had come in November 1989 when goals from Dessie Loughery and Stephen 'Goosey' Young gave the visitors a 2-1 win.

On the day, Dom Melly's twenty-seventh minute goal was the difference between the two teams. The Linfield defence had been unable to clear the ball after a free-kick and the youngster pounced.

"I remember there was a bit of a goalmouth scramble, big Albert took a swing at the ball and then it fell for me and I managed to connect and put the ball in the net."

Indifferent form through the winter months meant United descended into the upper reaches of mid-table where they remained for the season though a decent Irish Cup run saw them face Larne in an Oval semi-final.

"We had no luck at all that day, Alex Spackman saved absolutely everything and their goal came from a penalty kick. It was a really disappointing end to the season."

Melly's United career continued under new boss Tommy Wright though he soon began to be troubled by niggling injuries. International commitments meant that any real rest was rare.

"I never really got to have the summer off back then as once the regular season stopped I was into Milk Cup prep whether it was at Under-16s or then competing at Elite level for Northern Ireland Under-19s."

International football had provided Melly with a number of highlights having been part of Kenny Shiels successful Under-17 squad which qualified for a European Championship Finals in 2004, then enjoying an away victory against England as a schoolboy International before playing in Mal Donaghy's Under-19 squad which beat Brazil in the Milk Cup.

"The constant training and playing just caught up with me and I had an injury called a Gilmore's Groin which I really struggled to get rid of. I fell out of love a bit with football when I was in my late teens as I just couldn't get fit to play."
 

Spells followed at Bangor, Crusaders and Lisburn Distillery until an ankle injury at the age of 27 finished his career in the Irish League.

"There wasn't any kind of focus on strength and conditioning at that time and that made the possibility of returning to play a lot more difficult."

Picking up from his playing days, Dom is now heavily involved in the fitness industry as the owner of a private gym.

"I've been based at Nortel in Newtownabbey now for ten years where I'll have my own private clients and I also put on strength and conditioning sessions. I've done a lot of work with the Irish FA and do off-season programmes with a number of Irish League players. People understand now the work that needs to be done in that area."

Just recently turned 39, Dom reflected on his time at the Showgrounds, "I had a good four or five years at Ballymena and made many good friends. It was a good springboard for me into Irish League football."

At the time of that winning Windsor goal in 2004 there were no thoughts of it being the end of one win drought and the beginning of another as he explained.

"No, not at all. To be honest, I was really good mates with Ryan McLaughlin whose dad Bryan was assistant manager at Linfield. My first thought was getting round to see him and slag him about me scoring the winner against the Blues!"
 

Find out more of what Dom does these days on Instagram @dommellyhealthfitness

 Ballymena United is delighted to announce the appointment of Michael Balmer as the Club's new Ticketing Lead, a key role as the Club continues to build on a hugely successful period of growth in matchday and season ticket sales.

Michael's appointment comes, following the successful transition to TicketCo as Ballymena United's official ticketing partner. The move has already streamlined the process for supporters purchasing season tickets and match-day passes, providing a smoother, more modern experience for fans across the Sky Blues community.

A lifelong Ballymena United supporter, Balmer has previously been involved with coordinating the club’s official website and has been an active member of the club’s Management Committee.

Commenting on the appointment, Neil Coleman, Director of Marketing and Communications, said:

"Michael's appointment as Ticketing Lead comes at exactly the right time for the Club. Our move to TicketCo has been a real success, and Michael will be central to making sure that success continues as we head into a huge season ahead.

"He brings real energy and attention to detail to the role, and supporters will benefit from a smoother, more reliable ticketing experience both for season tickets and individual matches. It's a great appointment for the Club and I'm delighted to welcome him to the team."

Supporters are reminded that Season Tickets for 2026/27 continue to sell extremely well, with sales already **exceeding last year's targets at this stage; a reflection of the growing excitement around the Club's ambitions on and off the pitch.

Individual match tickets for the opening home games of the new season will be going on sale soon, with further details to follow shortly via the Club's official channels and TicketCo platform.

Ballymena United would like to welcome Michael to the Club and wish him every success in his new role. 

   Ballymena United are pleased to confirm the signing of Michael Leetch, who joins the Club from Ballyclare Comrades. 

The nineteen-year-old Ballymena native arrives at his hometown club from Ballyclare, with whom he enjoyed a fruitful three and a bit seasons to begin his career in the senior game. Leetch spent a decade with Ballymena United’s Youth Academy, before exiting for Dixon Park three years ago at the age of sixteen, where he embarked on a rapid rise through their youth system to become a first team player in his first season. 

Michael, whose preferred position is on the right wing, went on to make over seventy senior appearances for Ballyclare, as well as featuring against United when the sides met just a fortnight ago during pre-season. 

Speaking for the first time since returning to the Showgrounds and becoming a member of United’s first team for the first time, Michael outlined his delight at coming back: 

“It’s always been my dream to come back to my hometown club and play in the Premiership. I learnt so much at Ballyclare about the game and how to deal with the physical aspect of men’s football, but Ballymena is where I want to be and I can't wait to make the step up." 

United boss Oran Kearney also spoke on Leetch’s arrival, again highlighting the benefits of having local talent in the squad: 

“Both Barry Johnston and John Gregg have been aware of Michael and he has caught their eye, as well as other coaches at Ballyclare, so there has been a lot of homework done on that side. He’s also another local lad from Ballymena. Of course that isn’t the be all and end all, but it’s a bonus for me that he’s from the town. He has a bit to go but he has all the right attributes. He’s excited and we’re excited too.”   

 Ballymena United are pleased to announce the addition of Caoimhin McConnell, following a successful trial period with the club.

The versatile 25-year-old, who can play in a number of positions across the midfield or on the wing, officially joins Oran Kearney's squad having already featured as a Trialist in pre-season.

Caoimhin began his career in the Irish League with Cliftonville, making twenty appearances as a teenager for the Reds, before a loan move to Ards in 2019. A year later, McConnell headed for pastures new as he began a scholarship in the United States, where he represented the likes of Crusaders, Bryant Bulldogs and Little Rock, at a high standard of USA football. However, the former Northern Ireland U19 international has now returned home and has chosen the Showgrounds as his next destination.

Speaking to the club following confirmation of his arrival, Caoimhin had this to say:

"The standard at training has been really good and so have the friendlies we've played and I'm delighted to be here. I've felt welcomed since I've came in and now I'm really part of the team."

He added:

"I know Barry Johnston and Donal Rocks from my time at Cliftonville, so I reached out and asked if I could come in and luckily I was able to."

Oran Kearney also spoke about his latest summer signing, stating:

"Caoimhin was actually one of the first we looked at back in December. Barry Johnston knows him and his pathway well both here and in America and its clear to see he has a really good brain and technical ability and with a bit of time to adjust, he could become a big player for us."

He continued:

"He probably plays more central in a midfield, but he can play at the top or bottom of a midfield too, as well as inside positions. His versatility is a massive bonus."

 Ballymena United can confirm that manager Oran Kearney has added to his backroom team with the appointment of John Gregg as a first team coach.

While he has become a well known and vastly experienced coach within the Irish League, Gregg is a former Ballymena United player, spending two seasons at the Showgrounds between 1999 and 2001. His playing career also took in the likes of Glenavon and Cliftonville, as well as spells in Norway and England.

John's distinguished career as a coach has seen him hold the role of manager at both Institute and more recently Portstewart, as well as a period as assistant manager at Glentoran. John was also assistant manager to Rodney McAree at Dungannon Swifts, helping the Mid Ulster side to Irish Cup glory in 2024.

The 51-year-old has also worked alongside Oran Kearney before, during an impressive five-and-a-half year spell as Coleraine Academy manager from 2017-2023.

Speaking about his new role with his former club as a player, John said:

"Anybody who knows me knows I love coaching. I spoke to Oran a few times and he laid out his plans and they ticked the right boxes. The excitement is about getting in, meeting new players and working as hard as possible. I'm really looking forward to getting involved with a new group and I'm extremely grateful."