Ballymena fans 'not daft' as Jim Ervin highlights need for patience

​Ervin’s summer switch from experienced Irish League player to raw Irish League manager will become official tonight when he leads his rebuilt Ballymena side into a derby date at Coleraine to kick off the 2023/24 Sports Direct Premiership season.

"I haven't had much sleep since I took the job, never mind this Thursday night,” he recently joked. "Even at the NIFL launch you're watching the promotional videos and it gets your heart-rate going...so you can imagine what it's going to be like on Friday night, live on TV against your big rivals.

"I'm really looking forward to it...as for the sleep, I'll let you know after the match!"

Ervin heads into the clash with Coleraine looking beyond local bragging rights in search of a dream start as Ballymena boss.

However, his desire for a short-term spark is balanced out by a more realistic search towards long-term strides.

"Everyone involved at Ballymena or supports the club knows the transitional period that we're in,” said Ervin. "They're not daft, they are bound to have seen how things have been going on and off the pitch over the last number of years.

"It's going to be a challenge, but it's one me and my backroom staff are prepared for and really looking forward to...every manager wants to have a challenge, whether going for the league, Europe or survival.

"We can't wait for the campaign to get going...it's exciting, it's where we all want to be.”

Ervin’s eagerness to hit the ground running in management is matched by a measured overview of the Premiership landscape.

"It's going to be difficult when you look at the full-time teams and how other clubs are developing,” he said. "Yes, we are in a group with certain other teams in the bottom half from the get-go.

"It's up to us as a group of staff and also a group of players to put a marker down that even though we're part-time we're more than happy to compete with the full-time teams.

"I'm privileged to be in this position, I've gone from being a player to a manager, I'm very lucky and really excited.”