Ferguson targets next step up league standings

Glenn Ferguson insists he won’t let his Ballymena United players look too far ahead in their quest to climb the Danske Bank Premiership table.
Tony Kane signs a two-year contract extension at Ballymena United, watched by vice-chairman John Taggart and manager Glenn Ferguson.Tony Kane signs a two-year contract extension at Ballymena United, watched by vice-chairman John Taggart and manager Glenn Ferguson.
Tony Kane signs a two-year contract extension at Ballymena United, watched by vice-chairman John Taggart and manager Glenn Ferguson.

Three league wins in a row have catapulted the Sky Blues from 10th to eighth, with the teams in the top six now in United’s sights.

“Our target is always the next game - if you win it, everything else will look after itself,” said Ferguson.

“I’ve told the players that we’ll just look at the team directly above us and try to pick them off one at a time.

“Dungannon and Glenavon are only two points of us and Portadown just ahead of that again.

“It’s very tight in that wee middle group in the league with ourselves, Glenavon, Dungannon and Portadown so it will be interesting over the next few weeks.

“We have a chance of catching other teams and hopefully getting that elusive top six spot.”

United travel to Portadown this Saturday - the first of back-to-back trips to mid-Ulster with Glenavon to come the following week.

“Portadown had their full-strength team out in the last game and we won 4-0.

“I’m not going to come out and say we’re going to do that again but if we play the way we’ve been doing in recent weeks we’ll definitely give them a game.

“We have no reason to fear going there and hopefully we can pick up a good result,” added Ferguson, who has re-signed Tony Kane on a two-year extension.

* Seven Towers Supporters’ Club transport to Saturday’s game at Shamrock Park leaves Henry Street car park at 1.30pm.

* Details have been announced of the club’s annual Carol Service, which will be held in the Des Allen Suite on Thursday, December 12 (8.30pm). Guest speaker at the event will be former Northern Ireland international Stuart Elliott.