Almost full squad for Ferguson to pick from

Apart from long term casualty Allen Jenkins, who is out until at least Christmas, the Sky Blues boss have a clean bill of health.

Ferguson said: “It is a nice position to be in, five of the first team players got a run out on Saturday for the reserves. We have a decent squad and that gives us good competition for places.”

The Sky Blues enjoyed their first taste of away victory on Saturday with an emphatic 4-0 win at Distillery. Up next is Premiership new boys Ballinamallard, who have taken the league by storm.

The Fern Park side have already claimed major scalps in the form of Cliftonville, Portadown and Coleraine, but the pick of the bunch was a 3-1 win away at Linfield.

However the Fermanagh side were knocked off top spot on Saturday after a 2-0 home defeat to Shore Road outfit Crusaders, despite this setback, United boss Ferguson knows that they aren’t to be taken lightly.

He added: “It will be a tough test, they have shown themselves to be a good side. They have had good results which showed that the Linfield victory was not just a one off.

“Like ourselves, they have a lot of young players which can give problems with consistency but there’s no doubt they will be looking for a reaction after Saturday’s result.”

With United’s first away win coming on Saturday, their form at the Showgrounds this season has been impressive, Ferguson said that is important that his side keep that momentum going.

He added: “We are on a good run and unbeaten in five or six so we are looking to keep the momentum going with a number of big games coming up including a semi-final.”