The Irish League's busiest manager during the transfer window reflects on 'exciting' challenge of signing 21 new players

Baggley was previously in charge of Mid-Ulster Intermediate A side Crewe United before succeeding Stephen Small at Dixon Park and straight away was put to work identifying potential targets.

He had to undertake a massive squad overhaul during January with several star players departing, including Michael Morgan, Brian Healy and Darius Roohi, while a mixture of permanent and loan deals have helped bolster a new-look Ballyclare who are still fighting for a top-half finish.

Baggley worked non-stop throughout the window alongside club officials and while many would consider it a stressful task, he instead focuses on the immense opportunity that the challenge brought.

"Between the first team and reserves we signed 21 players in the month of January,” he said. “It was a big effort by everybody - management staff, secretary, chairman, it was a collective effort across the club.

"It was tough and challenging but it was exciting because you're getting to mould and create a new team.

"You didn't even have time to think about it, you were constantly on the phone taking calls, trying to identify the right players and characters to bring in.

"We were under no illusions when we came in that it was going to be a rebuild job because the club was up front and honest in telling us that a lot of boys had agreed terms with other clubs and were moving on.

"We had our eyes wide open going in. Our job was trying to make sure we got not only the right players but the right characters in the building.

"When we sat down to talk about our strategy and what type of players we wanted to sign, we of course wanted players who could come in and make an immediate impact, but also we were looking ahead.

"You want to sign players that could be here for the next few years too. We wanted to identify players who wanted an opportunity and we went after players that were hungry to show they can play at Championship level."

Baggley’s managerial reign began with a 3-1 win over Newry City last month while he also collected a point against Institute ahead of Saturday’s clash with Armagh City, who sit one position higher in the Championship table.

It has been a step up for Baggley after also holding previous positions in the Amateur League but he’s enjoying every moment.

"There are definitely more challenges...when I managed in the Amateur League or with Crewe, there was no window really and you could sign players when you needed,” he added. “Here you only have a certain amount of time and you're dealing with Premiership clubs trying to get loan deals sorted, which I didn't have previous experience of because in the Amateur League and Mid-Ulster you can't loan players.

"It has been a big learning curve on that side, but in terms of coaching nothing has changed there. The standard is all that bit sharper and faster and you're working against good opposition so you need to tweak things you've done before."