Former Glenavon star excited to work with Gary Hamilton once again and feels high-profile arrivals have boosted Premier Intermediate League

Hamilton brought McGrory to the Lurgan Blues from Ballymacash in January 2012, only a month after he’d been appointed Glenavon chief, and the pair celebrated two Irish Cup triumphs together alongside three third-placed Premiership finishes across six-and-a-half years.

McGrory went on to spend six years with Ballymena United before returning to boyhood club Ballymacash ahead of last season and has now been joined at the Bluebell Stadium by former boss Hamilton, who made a surprise Irish League return in April.

Having worked alongside Hamilton, McGrory knows better than most the impact the former Glentoran striker could have and says his appointment has provided a major boost.

"It's strange how football works,” said McGrory. “I spent almost seven years with him and we always kept in contact and he dropped a message here and there.

"We always had a good relationship and we always stayed in touch. I know how he works, he knows me and it's only a good thing for the club to have him there.

"It's massive for the club. Gary is coming in with his own views and the experience he has of the Irish League is going to be invaluable for us as a club.

"Gary's man-management is very good.

"He knows what type of player he wants to bring in and you can see with the Glenavon teams over the years he was successful with, we mightn't have always had the best players but everyone could see that every player who played for Glenavon and Gary gave 110%.

"He wants a family feel around the club and that really galvanises the whole club."

Alongside his playing duties, McGrory also works as a youth coach at Ballymacash and believes Hamilton’s arrival is positive for the club’s young stars considering his track record in promoting youth at Glenavon.

Perhaps the greatest example of that is Mark Sykes, who made over 130 appearances before signing for Oxford United and currently plays for Championship outfit Bristol City while the likes of Joel Cooper, Bobby Burns and Rhys Marshall all benefitted from working with Hamilton.

“It's amazing for the youth at Ballymacash,” added McGrory. “There's a buzz around the place that hasn't been there for a long time.

"A lot of the younger boys between 16-18 see this as their chance to stake a claim because I've seen that it doesn't matter what age you are with Gary - if you're good enough you'll play for him.

"The kids have a big chance to push their football on under Gary. He puts in the hours, relentless work and knows you need to promote youth to push a club forward."

Since Hamilton joined Ballymacash, Newry City have dropped into Northern Ireland’s third-tier and appointed former Linfield winger Stuart King as manager while Ballyclare Comrades will also be competing in the Premier Intermediate League with their 12-year Championship stay coming to an end earlier this month.

"It's all stemmed from the Premiership getting stronger,” said McGrory. “Boys there are finding time limited and are dropping down.

"Some are filtering into the PIL and the standard surprised me...there are some very good players and teams in the league.

"It's really strong and I think it's going to be even stronger next year. It's going to be a difficult league to get out of but it's great for the PIL and football in Northern Ireland."