I made a mistake and I'm sorry, says new Ballymena United recruit John Herron as midfielder is eager to repay Jim Ervin's faith
John Herron insists he wants to repay everyone at Ballymena United for giving him his second chance in Irish League football.
Former Glentoran midfielder Herron had his Larne contract "terminated by mutual agreement" in 2022 after images of him at a concert wearing a T-shirt with a pro-IRA slogan appeared on social media and he was handed a 10-game suspension by the Irish Football Association.
Following spells in Australia and Gibraltar, the 30-year-old has returned to the Premiership after being handed a one-year contract by Ballymena, joining the likes of Josh Carson, Stephen O’Donnell, Daniel Lafferty and Ben Kennedy as new arrivals at The Showgrounds this summer.
Herron conceded that whilst he "let a lot of people down" after the incident and that it was the "biggest mistake" of his life, he says those who know him will know that it was “out of character” and he is keen to make the most of his next adventure in Irish League football.
"Looking back on my whole Northern Irish experience, in my opinion, it's a little bit of a let down because of what happened in the end," he said in an interview with Ballymena United TV.
"I let myself down, I let a lot of people down, a lot of people invested in me whether that was Glentoran, whose fans loved me and supported me so much.
"It's the same as the Larne fans and I loved being a part of that and the whole experience.
"From my point of view, the way I left was very upsetting because I knew we were onto something very special and those who know me off-the-pitch knows I'm not that type of character and not that type of person.
"I've made mistakes, I've held my hands up and I'm still sorry. It's probably still the biggest mistake I've made and I'm 30-years-old.
"It impacted negatively on my career as people now look at me as if I'm a certain type of person. People who know me know that's not me at all.
"Whatever I've done in my career up to that point, it's now got a negative effect because there's now a label and a stigma on me, which is fine because I'm willing to accept that.
"I'm trying my hardest to put those things aside, show people that people make mistakes...and it's about getting that next opportunity and I'm just fortunate enough to Jim (Ervin) and the people at Ballymena for giving me that opportunity to show I do have unfinished business here."
Glasgow-born Herron will miss Ballymena's first ten games of the new campaign but he already has his eyes set on helping the Braidmen when he makes his return.
He added: “I’ll train as hard as I can every day. I’ll be around the squad even on match days and training days that I can’t be on the pitch.
"It’s not about 11 players or 18 players; it’s about the whole squad.
"Unfortunately for myself, I’ve got ten games to serve and I believe my first game back is October 5 – so it’s two months away.
"Fitness wise I’m still a bit off...but Jim understands that and I’m a hard worker.
"Northern Ireland is my home and the people here are nice and the people are so friendly.”