March player of the month
March seen 4 games with encouraging performance, if not the points we deserved. It started with a 1-1 draw away to Carrick Rangers at Solitude and only for the heroics of goalkeeper Brian Neeson we would have recorded a valuable victory.
Next up was an away tie with Glenavon in which we experienced last minute heartache when Gary Hamilton converted for a 1-0 win in injury. Following that was a trip to the National Stadium where we matched Linfield for large parts of the game and were eventually defeated 2-1. The final game of March was on Tuesday night past, when Colin Coates salvaged a win for Crusaders when the game seemed destined for a draw.
With suspension and injury, there were only a few players who played in all 4 games and are March winner is one of those.
Having been close to winning the previous two awards, Shane McCabe has been awarded our March player of the month. Since the turn of the year the midfielder has shown some good form and will be a key player in the final 5 games of the 2015/16 season.
Our January winner David Elliott also received votes this time around as did Ryan Morris who made his debut against Glenavon.
Speaking to our official match day programme Mallard Mail this week (Vs Crusaders) McCabe gave his assessment of our recent form and looks towards our final 5 games; "We've been playing well the last few games but have lost by small margins, but hard luck stories are no good in this league and there is no point in playing well and losing."
"It's not about playing pretty football, it's about grinding out the results and that's what we must do in these last 5 games. Ballinamallard have the capability of staying in this league as we have a great combination of youth and experience. None of the players have any fear about the upcoming matches and I have been very impressed by the young players who have come into the squad - they have loads of energy and enthusiasm."
Speaking of his own form Shane commented; "I got off to a reasonable start then missed a few months with a knee injury and suspension. I feel that I am now playing better and I want to drive on for these next few games and help the club secure Premier League football. I was relegated once with Glenavon many years ago and I certainly don't want that to happen in my first season back at Ballinamallard".
We of course wish Shane and the rest of the squad well on their final five games and that we have several players of the month to choose from for April.
