Cushley vows to regain full fitness to aid United’s cause

David Cushley (centre) celebrates with his Ballymena United team-mates after scoring in Saturday's match at Cliftonville. Picture: Press Eye.

The winger has endured a frustrating campaign through injury and illness but is now nearing full fitness again.

Cushley had been aiming to build on the personal success of his first season back at the Showgrounds, in which he finished as leading goalscorer and shared the Player of the Year accolades with goalkeeper Dwayne Nelson.

But disaster struck in the summer when he was hospitalised with a collapsed lung.

“Pre-season certainly didn’t go the way I had planned,” reflects Cushley.

“The collapsed lung was just totally spontaneous.

“I had been training by myself and had done a double session one Wednesday. I went to go a run that evening and I came back to the house and took this pain in my chest.

“Then when I came back from the collapsed I played 10 minutes against Crusaders at Seaview and did my medial knee ligaments.

“I’ve only been back from that for a few weeks and while I know I’m getting there fitness-wise, I know I can get fitter.

“I’m still working hard and giving everything out on the pitch but there’s always that wee bit better you can do and I’m working hard to improve my own fitness.”

The 24-year-old has scored four times this season, the latest coming in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Cliftonville, and he admits that he and his team-mates are going to have to hit the onion bag more often if the Sky Blues are to force their way out of trouble at the foot of the Danske Bank Premiership.

“We’re creating loads of chances but we need to start taking them.

“All we can do is keep making the chances but we have to start putting them away.

“If people keep getting in those positions hopefully it’s only a matter of time before it starts turning for us.

“I thought we were brilliant against Cliftonville but two lapses in concentration cost us - it’s the type of wee bounces that aren’t going our way.

“We need to keep digging away and try and pull out of this position.

“I was pleased with my goal. It was a great ball by Gary Thompson and I took a touch. It was one of those were if you have too much time, you start to over-think it so I hit it and it went into the far corner.

“The games we have now against Ards and Warrenpoint are must-wins.

“Hopefully can bombard those teams with chances the way we have done in recent games and then most importantly, put them away,” added Cushley.