Former Ballymena United teammates on Jim Ervin, the man 'you'd want beside you in the trenches' and who was destined for Irish League management

Ervin’s dugout introduction last season was a baptism of fire as his struggling Sky Blues side lost 26 of 38 Premiership matches, including 10 of their opening 12, before escaping relegation by the slimmest of margins in a late comeback against Institute.

Despite high-profile summer signings – Ben Kennedy arrived at the Showgrounds alongside former Northern Ireland internationals Danny Lafferty and Josh Carson – Ballymena endured similar woes at the beginning of the current term, losing four consecutive games as the pressure mounted on Ervin.

However, fast forward less than two months later and Ballymena have won all of their last eight league matches, including triumphs over Larne, Glentoran and Cliftonville, to move top of the Premiership table.

Ervin was a proven winner during his playing days, collecting six Premiership titles and six Irish Cup crowns at Linfield after returning from Nottingham Forest, and skippered Ballymena to their last trophy success when they lifted the 2016/17 League Cup.

Both Jenkins, who scored the opening goal, and Kane started that evening at Seaview and speak glowingly about the impact Ervin had on the changing room.

"He's a leader of men, so highly regarded, so highly respected, knowledgeable, someone you'd want beside you in the trenches because he has a never-say-die attitude and he has such a desire to be better and to win,” said Jenkins. “The way he deals with people, the way he speaks to them in being able to give a kick up the backside or an arm of encouragement, I couldn't speak more highly of him.”

Kane arrived at Ballymena two-and-a-half years before Ervin with the ex-Blackburn Rovers ace going on to make 358 appearances for the club – only seven players have amassed more – but they left in the same summer for Dundela and Carrick Rangers respectively.

The pair shared car journeys to and from training and matches for nearly seven years and from those conversations it was clear that Ervin had what it took to make the transition from player to manager.

"Jim was very calm and always said the right things at the right time - he didn't speak for the sake of it,” said Kane. “He led by example on the pitch and was always seven, eight or nine out of 10 every single week.

"You knew straight away that Jim would be going into coaching or management. It probably came to him a bit earlier than expected but if you don't throw someone in you don't know what you'll get.

"Nobody in their wildest dreams would have thought they'd be where they are, but it's brilliant to see and great for Jim."

Combined with making a move into management quicker than perhaps previously thought, Ervin also had the unenviable task of replacing his former Linfield boss David Jeffrey – an absolute giant of Irish League football who won 32 trophies across 26 years and took charge of over 1,200 matches.

Under Jeffrey, Ballymena won the aforementioned League Cup, reached Premiership heights not seen since 1980 by finishing second behind Linfield in 2018/19, progressed into Europa League qualifying and were Irish Cup runners-up three times.

Becoming the man after THE man isn’t an easy job – just look at David Moyes replacing Sir Alex Ferguson or Unai Emery taking over from Arsene Wenger – and after early pressure, Kane is delighted to see his good friend come out the other side.

"Jim played under Davy at Linfield for years and won multiple trophies and played under him at Ballymena too,” he added. “The big man is a hard act to follow but Jim will have had his own ideas and people are seeing that.

"He took a lot of flak last season but Jim has thick skin and took everything in his stride. There's no better man - he'll give it 100%, just as he did as a player.

"He's reaping the rewards now of being able to put together his squad and team so it's his responsibility to get a tune out of them and that's what he's doing.”

Succeeding in football management is probably more about the latter than former as you guide a group of players towards a shared objective, handle the headaches of team selection and attempt to keep everyone happy, along with countless other tasks away from the pitch.

"Having a talented squad brings its own challenges because you need to keep everyone happy and singing off the same hymn sheet,” adds Jenkins. “I've won a few trophies in my time in both Scotland and Northern Ireland and a lot of trophies are won in the dressing room if you can get that togetherness."

Being amongst the older, more experienced players in the Ballymena changing room, Ervin, Jenkins and Kane often discussed their views on football and the way it should be played.

Just like Ervin, Jenkins has moved into coaching at former club Stranraer, where he’s Head of Youth Development, and feels his former teammate is setting himself up for a successful post-playing career.

"With his leadership as a captain, the natural transition is into management,” he said. “It's not for everybody - I think management is less about football and more about getting the best out of people.

"He learned from the best because David Jeffrey is absolutely the best at getting the most out of people and if Jim can carry the qualities that David instilled in him and add some of his own, then he'll have a fantastic career."