Ferguson warns United players against cup slip-up

The Sky Blues will be overwhelming favourites as they play host to minnows Derriaghy Cricket Club FC this Saturday (3pm) – with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

But Ferguson has warned that his players will not take the threat of Derriaghy – who are unbeaten in their own division of the Amateur League – lightly and has demanded a professional performance from his players.

Derriaghy, an off-shoot of the local cricket club, are currently managed by former Banbridge Town boss Michael Lamont, who has been able to attract some players who have played at a higher level, including Aaron Baker, brother of Ballymena striker Jordan.

They remain unbeaten at the top of Division 1A – one level below the Amateur League’s Premier Division – but since being drawn against Ballymena, they have lost their 100 per cent record, having drawn their last two games after 11 straight victories from the start of the campaign.

For Ballymena, the tie represents an excellent chance to advance to the last eight, just three steps away from potentially ending that major trophy famine which has existed since the club’s last Irish Cup success in 1989.

More immediately, the cup tie will be a welcome distraction following a wretched sequence of league results which has seen United slowly dragged down into the fringes of Carling Premiership relegation scrap.

“I’ve been in both situations in cup football, of being favourites and underdogs and there will definitely be no complacency on our part.

“There’ll be no showboating, there’ll be no big-time Charlie routine and trying to do things they shouldn’t be doing.

“If anybody thinks they’re going to do that, should it be 10 minutes, 15, 20 minutes into the game they’ll know why if they get taken off.

“We will go out and play with the same attitude and determination that we did at the weekend against Cliftonville.

“We’ve have Derriaghy watched and we know they have a couple of threatening players – funnily enough, one of them is Jordan Baker’s brother.

“They’re well organised and they are doing very well in their own league and they will come here with a gameplan which we will have to break down.

“As the senior team we will be expected to do that and we will work on that during the week.

“Hopefully we can put in a good performance, get ourselves into the hat and give ourselves a bit of a lift ahead of the next run of league games,” added Ferguson, who will have to reshuffle his panel with right-back Tony Kane and central midfielder Gavin Taggart both serving one-match suspensions for accumulating five bookings.

Saturday’s match will be sponsored by Ballymena United Sports and Social Club.