Give Gibson every chance, urges Walker

The arrival of the burly Gibson has met with a lukewarm response on internet supporter forums, with fans still reeling from the departure of terrace favourite Kelbie.

“Kevin has moved on and we need to do likewise and Richard will give us a degree of physicality in attack.

“I’m delighted to get him not only because he is a big, strong lad but also because he has a good goalscoring record at the top level.”

Walker’s attempts to bring in former Glentoran striker Michael Halliday in a new-look strikeforce remain up in the air.

“Other clubs can offer Michael incentives in terms of more money and locality so we’ll have to wait and see.”

But two more established players - Albert Watson and Aidan Watson - look to be heading out of the Showgrounds after failing to agree new deals on reduced terms.

“Aidan came down a bit a bit from what he was on last year but the gap is too big and it looks like he will be playing his football elsewhere next season.

“I didn’t personally deal with Albert last week as I was sorting out contracts with a number of other players but he spoke to some of the Board members and the result was inconclusive.

“The reality is, we simply can’t afford to pay players the sums of money that we were doing in previous years.

“The players we currently have under contract are players who want to be at the club and I’m encouraged by the fact that all the players I have spoken to about joining have expressed a willingness to come to Ballymena rather than simply ask ‘how much am I getting?’.”

Defender Aaron Stewart has signed a new one-year deal, while Walker is confident of tying up sought-after defender Chris Ramsey on a new deal and young fringe players George Young and Aaron Lemon have also prolonged their stay. Negotiations with veteran midfielder Darren Lockhart over a rolling, short-term deal are ongoing.

Out the door go winger George Stewart and midfielder Philip Carson, whose contract has been terminated by mutual consent.

Walker continues to monitor the situation regarding transfer-listed players at Glentoran, with a view to possibly taking one or more on loan and paying part of their wages but it is understood that Glentoran favour permanent transfers, and Ballymena cannot match the terms the players are on at the Oval.

In the meantime, Walker continues to scour the lower divisions, with Larne keeper Ryan Brown and Coagh United midfielder Ryan Berry - on loan from the Glens - believed to be on Roy’s radar, while Clough-based Ballymoney United defender Denver Gage is another reported target.