Proven goalscorer could make a huge difference to United’s season

Fast forward a couple of hours and Saturday’s visit to Ferney Park illustrated graphically that, to borrow a phrase from one of Kipling’s most famous works – The Jungle Book – the ‘bear (sic) necessity’ that Ballymena United will require in order to prevent this from being a season of ifs, buts and maybes is the acquisition of a goalscorer.

Glenn Ferguson, like millions of others who have taken to the dugout at all levels of football, is finding that this management lark is a frustrating old game.

One minute you have a side with a 30-goal striker who can’t keep a clean sheet for love nor money...the next you have a virtually impregnable defence and no-one to hit the onion bag at the other end.

That’s the quandary facing Ferguson, despite Ballymena United’s unbeaten start to the Danske Bank Premiership.

Saturday’s match was a virtual continuation of the previous Saturday at Seaview, albeit that the Fermanagh side were arguably the most impressive of the three teams Ballymena have faced so far this season.

Like Ballymena, they had plenty of neat approach work but no cutting edge in a game played on a billiard table-like surface but which appeared destined to end scoreless, even from its early stages.

The appearance of teenage striker Neil Lowry in the starting line-up for the first time gave a hint of what to expect as Ferguson opted for youthful pace and energy in a three-pronged front line along with David Cushley and Jamie Davidson.

The idea was to get the ball from back to front quickly but the attempted balls over the top rarely got past Ballinamallard’s stubborn rearguard. Even when the frontrunners tried to use their pace to beat opponents, they were again snuffed out and Ballymena’s attacks started to become predictable.

The down side of moving the ball forward quickly is that play by-passed the midfield, with Gary Thompson and Allan Jenkins – two players whose strengths lie with driving forward with the ball at their feet – largely peripheral figures until they started to make an impact during Ballymena’s best spell of the game in the second half.

At the back, United’s improved defensive performances continue – illustrated by the fact that in 270 minutes of top-flight football this season, keeper Dwayne Nelson hasn’t had to make a top-class save worthy of the name.

Ferguson has no worries on that front, but the other end of the pitch is a different matter.

It promises to be a busy week for the manager as he seeks to address that situation before the closure of the transfer window at midnight on Friday ties his hands further.

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