Ballymena United 0 Loughgall 1

Saturday 27th January 2024 – Sports Direct Premiership – The Showgrounds, Ballymena

I know everyone has to be born somewhere but it always makes me chuckle when I see someone really famous born in provincial towns.  Ballymena, sitting almost slap-bang in the middle of Northern Ireland has three notable people “sons”.  The actor James Nesbitt, the former hell-fire minister and founder of the DUP Iain Paisley and Liam Neeson.  

After the tough-going watch last night at Carrick Rangers, I’d headed north, via a Saturday lunchtime pit stop in Belfast, to the home of Neeson.   I’d like to think that the mean streets of Northern Ireland’s seventh biggest town were the inspiration for some of his characters, and that as a boy he was a Braidmen fan, regularly going to games during the club’s golden age between 1980 and 1989, where they won the Irish Cup three times and qualified for European competition four times, including two-legged defeats to AS Roma and Anderlecht. A lesser known fact about Neeson is he actually played for Bohemian v Shamrock Rovers in his younger years before the bright lights of Hollywood tempted him away.

Today, the club are struggling at the wrong end of the Premiership table, sitting in the relegation playoff spot.  It wasn’t always the case that the seasons were fights against survival but in recent years it’s been a tough slog.  I’m sure the fans would take last season’s 9th place finish now rather than the uncertainty of a potential relegation playoff come the end of the season.

It’s had to love a ground that has is considered to be a “multi-sport” venue.  The Showgrounds may only be a football stadium these days, but it has to live with the sins of its fathers.  The cinder track and the undeveloped curved ends are a reminder of the stock car racing of the not too distant past that used to cause significant damage to the pitch.  Whilst the ground remains under the ownership of Mid and East Antrim, Borough Council,  and the club are fighting relegation and not for European spots, there’s little reason why any redevelopment to increase the capacity or improve facilities will happen, especially as it sits on the edge of a residential area of the town.

The two stands are excellent in themselves with uninterrupted, if distant views of the game and enough protection from the wind and the rain.  The concourse houses the club shop and a decent selection of food and drink, which were very welcome after a 25 minute walk from the station.

The away fans were located in the slightly smaller of the two stands opposite which means there’s no atmosphere in the ground, with any effort to raise a song or a chant dissipating on the chilly wind.  The 40 or so Loughgall fans gave it a go, especially when Nathaniel Ferris headed in the only goal of the game in the 62nd minute and ran towards the away support to celebrate, the high point in an otherwise flat encounter between two sides looking over their shoulders rather than to the stars. 

Ballymena United has to play the hand they’ve been dealt and there’s no club that tries to give all fans a warm welcome, but ultimately the Showgrounds isn’t going to be on many fans must see stadiums.