Matthew Clarke hoping all is forgiven after finally linking-up with Oran Kearney at Ballymena United

When Kearney was manager at derby rivals Coleraine, he tried to lure Clarke to The Showgrounds from his time at Linfield.

Whilst a deal was close, it never materialised as Clarke enjoyed an 11-year stint at the Blues before crossing the Irish Sea to play for Scottish side Livingston.

Clarke was brought to Warden Street by Jim Ervin but it is all change at Ballymena as Kearney was brought in as the club’s new manager in December.

"Oran’s been very good since coming in,” Clarke said.

"I was very close to signing for Coleraine a few times when he was the manager there but it just never happened.

"Him and Janty (Barry Johnston) have been really good in the changing room and hopefully Oran’s forgiven me for not signing for him before.

"Fingers crossed now that we pick up results here and start climbing the table.”

Kearney was quick to add to his squad in the January transfer window as Dean Ebbe, Shane McEleney, Sean Murray, Igor Rutkowski, Fuad Sule and Bradley Wade were all snapped up.

The Braidmen have also agreed pre-contract agreements that will see Linfield trio Chris McKee, Charlie Allen and David Walsh join in the summer.

Whilst the signing of former Larne ace Sule has grabbed the headlines, Clarke has been impressed by the performances of Rutkowski who was signed after a prolific spell at Armagh City.

He explained: “Igor’s done well since arriving through the door.

"He’s quite bullish and a nuisance which is something you don’t like as a defender.

"He has scored a few goals since joining and it was a good January window for us.

"I feel we have signed players who know the league well and that’s massive for us.”

Ballymena return to Premiership action on Tuesday night as they welcome Crusaders to The Showgrounds.

When asked about he expects from the Hatchetmen, former Rangers trainee Clarke replied: “We are looking forward to going back to The Showgrounds.

"It is a massive game and it’s down to us as players to get the three points.

"They are a young, lively team which is probably different to what they’ve been in the past.

"However, that doesn’t mean they are any less effective as they’ve got good players with plenty of legs in their team, who are in and around the same position as us in the table.”

The Braidmen have had several games called off at their Warden Street home due to a waterlogged pitch and 31-year-old Clarke acknowledged it’s been frustrating for everyone.

"It’s been a pretty tough few weeks,” he reflected.

"Like all footballers, you just want to be play on a weekend.

"Things have just been stop-start as when you train, you’re building towards a game and it’s frustrating when it’s called-off, so we’ve a bit of catching up to do.”