'Nought' much to cheer in last decade

The answer, in all probability, will not be with particular fondness, with the Sky Blues still light years from emulating the arguably the golden era in the club's history, the 1980s, where three Irish Cups were among a glorious haul of silverware.

A total of four managers took charge of the club during that decade, although two of them – Kenny Shiels and Tommy Wright – accounted for seven of the 10 years.

Consequently, there were manay changes – although some things remained depressingly constant.

Top of that list was the drought for silverware, with Ballymena having now entered a 21st year without winning a major trophy i.e. one that is competed for by all senior clubs.

The decade also began with the club under a financial cloud and ended in similar fashion, although not anywhere near the same scale as the problems which threatened the very existence of the club around the turn of the millennium.

I've covered the club throughout the past decade and here are some of the moments – some good, some bad and some downright bizarre – which have defined the decade for me.

1. Down but not out: After Glenn Hunter's goals amost single-handedly kept United in the top flight for the start of the millennium, there was no reprieve for the Sky Blues in season 2000-1.

Nigel Best got the chop as manager before Christmas of that campaign and after the extraordinary appointment of physiotherapist George Magill as interim manager over the crucial festive period, Kenny Shiels took over as manager but, despite starting out of the relegation placings, he was unable to prevent the malaise which culminated in relegation to the first division.

There are perhaps lessons to be learned that a club which flirts with relegation for a couple of seasons will invariably slip through the trapdoor at some stage.

2. Glorious failure: While in the first division, Ballymena, as only they could contrive to do, somehow failed to win the title from a position of having virtually one hand on the trophy.

The moment to top them all came in the title decider at Dungannon where Ballymena were 2-1 up and about to take a penalty with Swifts keeper Niall Currie having been sent off. Peter Withnell's spot kick was saved by stand-in Johnny Montgomery and the Swifts went on to win 3-2.

With Ballymena mentally shot to pieces, they completely imploded in the closing weeks, allowing Dungannon to overtake them to the title.

3. New stand opens: The opening of the new stand in 2003 (six-and-a-bit years later and it still hasn't been given a proper name) was a major feather in the cap for the club and borough.

The appearance of Premiership Bolton Wanderers to mark the official opening of the facility was another major plus. Work begins shortly on a similar job on the Warden Street stand.

4. The Odense adventure: Having finished a highly creditable sixth in the first season bck in the top flight in 2004, there was an unexpected bonus for the Sky Blues in the shape of European football via the back door, after rightful qualifiers Lisburn Distillery failed to gain the necessary UEFA licence to compete.

Danish side Odense were United's opponents in the now defunct Inter-Toto Cup and around 100 fans made a never-to-be-forgotten trip to Sandanavia to see Ballymena stun their full-time opponents by holding them to a scoreless draw.

With dreams of causing an upset in the second leg, and Spanish giants Villareal awiting the winners in the next round, the fairytale came to a crashing end as United lost 0-7 at home.

5. Ecstasy...then agony: The period of February 23-26, 2004, summed up exactly what it is to be a Ballymena United supporter.

On the Saturday, Dominic Melly wrote his name into club folklore with the winning goal against Linfield as United won at Windsor Park for the first time in 15 years.

Little over 72 hours later, United crashed out of the County Antrim Shield, beaten 1-0 at home by Amateur League Kilmore Rec – arguably the worst result in the club's history.

6. Irish Cup agony: That same season, Ballymena looked well placed for a first Irish Cup final appearance since 1989 when fortunes favoured them with three ties against junior opposition, then Larne in the semi-final.

In one of the most one-sided games imaginable, Ballymena pummelled their opponents but could not find a way past heroic keeper Alex Spackman – who, ironically, had started the decade at the Showgrounds. At the other end, Larne converted a hotly-disputed penalty from their only attack as they went on to lose 5-1 to Portadown in the final.

The full implications of that defeat only became apparent a few weeks later when Kenny Shiels was sacked.

7. Woodwork denies Shield win: United, now under the managership of Tommy Wright, will never go closer to ending that trophy drought than the 2006 County Antrim Shield final.

With the scores level at 1-1 going into the closing stages, Kevin Kelbie burst clear and his shot beat keeper Alan Mannus only to cannon off the crossbar. Minutes later, Linfield grabbed a late winner at the other end.

8. The emergence of Johnny Flynn: A 17-year-old burst onto the scene in 2007 who completely transformed United's season.

The Sky Blues were plodding along in mid-table when Wright introduced defender Johnny Flynn to the side and his stellar displays acted as the catalyst for United to go on a 14-match unbeaten run which catapulted them into the top four at the turn of the year.

However, it was clear that Flynn was destined for greater things and after his move to Blackburn Rovers, United's season petered out.

9. 'Leg of lamb'-gate: There was one final piece of mayhem near the end of that season.

In a tinderbox Easter Saturday game with Lisburn Distillery, nine-man United conceded an equaliser in the tenth minute of injury time. Managers Tommy Wright and Paul Kirk brawled as the sides came off the pitch and an players and spectators joined in, a meat bone – later described by the media as a leg of lamb – was thrown from the crowd.

A few weeks later, Wright resigned, on the last day of the season.

10. The re-birth of United?: Roy Walker took on the job and in an often difficult 18 months to date, he has not only restructed his playing squad but has also made inroads in the even more difficult task of changing the image, philosophy and identity of the club within the town.

If the examples of the last 10 years that I have mentioned are anything to go by, the next decade at the Showgrounds will certainly be worth watching!