McBride signing shows United can still compete in transfer market

It’s not often that the signing of a left-back prompts such an outpouring of pleasure from United fans on internet forums, but the imminent signing of Crusaders defender Stephen McBride certainly seems to have captured the imagination of the vast majority of Sky Blue fans.

Throw in the the plaudits of Crusaders fans about a player deemed a club legend at Seaview and it seems Ballymena fans will have plenty to look forward to in the summer, when McBride completes his move to the Showgrounds after his contract expires at the Crues, ending a long association with the Shore Road club for the full-back.

For me, it wasn’t so much the identity of the player but rather where he’s coming from which is the real issue here.

It has become increasingly apparent in recent seasons that Ballymena have struggled to compete for the signatures of players at the Irish League’s top clubs.

It’s a by-product of United’s inability to establish themselves as a ‘top six’ club – that topic will be discussed in this column over the next couple of weeks – with players who leave the best clubs unwilling to step outside the buffer of clubs of a similar stature.

Similarly, it’s often hard for managers of provincial clubs to convince a Belfast player – particularly one who has spent all of his career at a city-based club – to venture down the M2 to continue their playing days.

So Glenn Ferguson must have been at his persuasive best to prompt McBride – an outstanding but often under-rated member of Crusaders’ successes of recent seasons – to throw his lot in with Ballymena.

The majority of Ferguson’s transfer dealings in his time in charge at Warden Street have seen new arrivals coming from lower-ranked clubs – Gary Thompson, David Cushley and Gary Liggett from Lisburn Distillery and Shane Dolan from Donegal Celtic being prime examples.

It’s not that long ago that Ballymena were able to attract big names in Irish League terms, by virtue of the fact that they had significant financial clout.

It was well known in Irish League circles that Ballymena were a ‘soft touch’ for players, often coming to the end of glittering careers with one of the ‘Big Two’, where a move to Ballymena meant a final payday with little or no pressure or expectation of success from supporters.

The irony, of course, is that even when Ballymena had the wherewithal to outbid other clubs, they still weren’t able to translate that onto success on the pitch!

The imposition of Salary Cost Protocol regulations by the IFA – designed to stop clubs going into financial meltdown – means that Ballymena’s hands are now significantly tied when it comes to transfer dealings.

Gone are the days where you could see what Club A was offering Player A and then add another £30 or £40 onto it to outbid them. If you push the boat out to sign one player now, the likelihood is that you miss out on a second player as you only have a finite wage budget.

It’s refreshing to see that Ballymena can still compete for decent players from the Belfast clubs – the McBride capture is a nice taster for next season after a campaign which has dragged interminably since its high point at the end of November.

* Follow Ballymena Times Sports Editor Stephen Alexander on Twitter (@Stephen_Bmena)