Attitude as much as ability will be vital in Sky Blues’ cup test

Traditionally, certainly in recent times, fifth round day in the Blue Riband knockout competition has often been a release from a miserable league campaign, the possible salvation of another unsuccessful season.

Strangely, though, the Irish Cup has possibly come at a bad time for United this year.

At a time when the Sky Blues have built up considerable momentum, manager Glenn Ferguson might well have preferred another Danske Bank Premiership fixture.

Not that you’ll see Ballymena or any other senior club denigrate the country’s biggest cup event.

Thankfully clubs here continue to treat the cup with the reverence it deserves rather than clubs in England viewing the FA Cup as an inconvenience in a league where finishing fourth from bottom in the standings is deemed a greater priority than winning a piece of silverware.

It’s one of the reasons why shock results are relatively rare in the Irish Cup - indeed, rather than making eight or nine changes from the regular league starting XI, you’ll see Irish League managers trying to rush through signings and rush players back from injury to ensure they have their STRONGEST available line-up for the cup.

Ballymena will certainly be hoping that they don’t come a cropper having been paired against lower division opposition in the form of Harland & Wolff Welders.

The fact the game can go ahead, as drawn, at Tillysburn Park, means that the novelty factor of a trip to the compact east Belfast will at least give the impression to supporters and hopefully players that it’s not simply a ‘normal’ game.

Even allowing for that, Ballymena will enter the game as overwhelming favourites but it’s a tie where attitude, as much as ability, will be a deciding factor.

If Ballymena approach it in the wrong manner then there’s a distinct possibility that Ballymena could, to use a phrase commonly uttered by Ferguson, “get their backsides kicked”.

It will pit the manager against his close friend and former ‘Big Two’ adversary Gary Smyth, whose recent introduction to management has provided an immediate impact for the Welders.

Smyth, of course, had a memorable spell at Ballymena at the tail end of his playing career and he is as much as class act off the pitch as he was on it.

There would be a certain irony if such a former United favourite were to turn over his former club but if Ballymena can continue their form of recent weeks, they should progress to the last 16

United might well be bolstered by some new attacking options by the weekend after Ferguson brought premature ends to the Showgrounds careers of both Gary Liggett and Shane Dolan last week.

It’s another clear sign that Ferguson knows exactly what he wants from his panel - and that can only augur well for United.

* Follow Ballymena Times Sports Editor Stephen Alexander on Twitter (@Stephen_Bmena).