Chairman: Treble for dedicated club duo

“My great regret is that two great friends, Charlie Johnston and Ernie McCormick, were not with us to savour the successes. Charlie a former club secretary and Ernie a one-time board member who moved to Ballyclare Comrades in his later years,” explained David Hilditch.

“They were tremendous clubmen as well as good friends and, in their own ways, played their part in what we have achieved because they were behind our ambitions every step of the way.

“And I confess that I absolutely did not think we would complete the treble, with the league won before the end of April after playing twice every single week from the start of March. It was an incredibly hectic nine-week period for us all.

“That just shows the dedication and commitment of everybody at the club, with particular thanks expressed to Gary Haveron and Glenn Taggart, who willingly stepped into the breach in difficult and unexpected circumstances when Gary was unable to continue in his role as manager.

“It’s remarkable that they were able to do so well in an exacting situation with what was a small squad of players. We had an U18 international and several older players joining a small nucleus of 12 or 13 others to achieve everything.

“And there were some amazing escapes along the way, Lisburn Distillery looking all over winners at one stage and several other teams also going close to spoiling the dream, with only one defeat - to Ards.

“We are thrilled to be now preparing for another crack at the Premier League. There’s a lot of work to be done during the summer, but it’s the type of hard work we worked so hard to secure.”