Ervin Reflects on Ballymena’s Resilient Victory

Ballymena United manager Jim Ervin commended his team for their resilient defensive performance during their 1-0 victory against Cliftonville at Solitude on Saturday. Ervin’s squad is scheduled to play Larne at the Showgrounds next Saturday. The Sky Blues endured significant pressure from the opposing team until Andy Scott scored the decisive goal in the 70th minute. This win propelled them to third position in the Premiership table, trailing the Reds only by goal difference. Ervin stated, “I thought it was a really difficult game. I thought we were under pressure for the majority of it. You expect that when you come to Cliftonville and you have to be resolute in defence and brave and you have to enjoy being under the cosh. “You have to ride your luck at times and enjoy defending.” He added, “We had no passengers – every player stuck to their task and worked their socks off and did their jobs.” This triumph concluded a sequence of four consecutive top-tier losses for Ervin’s team. Ervin expressed his satisfaction, saying, “I’m so pleased for everyone at the club as it’s been a difficult couple of weeks. “We’ve worked hard on the training pitch and behind the scenes and we got our just rewards.” Winger Scott, known for his energy, is among several players who transferred to the Braidmen from their local rivals Coleraine during the summer. Regarding Scott, Ervin commented, “Andy has scored a tremendous goal and I’m so pleased for him. “He’s a hard working player, he never stops, the amount of energy that he has, and we don’t always see the benefit of it going forward. We see a lot defensively.” Sandi Toksvig will be accompanied by Gyles Brandreth, Lulu, Emmanuel Sonubi, and Alan Davies. Opportunities are available to sing along to music from Queen, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, and other artists. Ben Fogle and Kate Humble are returning for the celebratory events at Longleat Safari Park. Topics range from microplastics found in our air, soil, and waterways to the quantity of food waste generated during this period of the year.