Oran Kearney says new Ballymena arrival is in ‘top five midfielders in the league’ on his day

The midfielder has joined the Braidmen as Oran Kearney continues to put his stamp on his squad ahead of his first full season at the helm.

The 29-year-old is widely known for his near-decade long spell at Linfield, winning a remarkable six league titles, three League Cups and two Irish Cups.

His tenure at Windsor Park would cruelly be disrupted by injuries in the latter stages and he subsequently joined Coleraine last summer.

In a bid to regain fitness, Fallon spent the second half of last season on loan at Bangor, with his contract at the Bannsiders not being renewed.

However, Ballymena is now the next chapter in Fallon’s career and boss Kearney is eager to work with the former Swansea City trainee.

He told Ballymena’s official website: "On his day, a fit Stephen Fallon is probably in the top five midfielders in the league.

"He's someone I've followed for a long time and the important thing for me is he's gone to Bangor and put together a good number of games on the bounce after a couple of years of niggles and bad luck.

"You can never have enough guys like Stephen in your dressing room."

Fallon, who will wear the number 20 shirt with the Sky Blues, voiced his excitement at getting going with the Sky Blues.

"I spoke to Oran over the break and when he told me where the club is going, it's one with a lot of potential and I'm looking forward to getting started.

"I've struggled with injuries recently, but the last six months I got a run of games together which has given me a bit of confidence and this is somewhere I can kick-start my career again."

It has marked a busy week for Ballymena as they have also confirmed the arrivals of Chris McKee, Micheal Glynn, Scot Whiteside and Josh Archer.

It is expected that former Linfield duo Charlie Allen and David Walsh will be announced as Ballymena players in the coming days.