Historic maiden senior bow beckons for Ballyclare against Ballymena in Ulster Premiership Division 2

Mike Orchin-McKeever’s side won the Ulster Championship, beat Creggs in the All Ireland round Robin semi-final before securing senior status with a last gasp historic win over Monkstown in the decider.

The club also won the All Ireland Junior Cup for the first time and while reflecting on the glory of last season, coach Orchin-McKeever is ready to embrace the challenges of Ballyclare’s status as a senior club.

“Truthfully it hasn’t sunk in yet but the excitement is building around it,” he said. “My role is to prepare the players, the team and a squad and the second XV for the next competition event that they have coming up.

“Around the club and the town there is an excitement about growing the game. There has been a lot of work behind the scenes which I take nothing to do with’ there are a lot of great people behind the scenes.

“From adding a grandstand to the side of the pitch which will be named after British Lion Ronnie Lamont MBE, who coached at the club after he finished his playing days and led the fourths to a 27-game unbeaten season in 2012.”

Lamont was also one of the driving forces behind introducing a mini section to the club while his son and grandson played for Ballyclare.

Orchin-McKeever added: “Perimeters have been added around the pitch, upgrading to changing rooms and toilet facilities and so on, so it is a growing club for becoming an All Ireland club.

“It has been a nice reward for a lot of hard work and I suppose bits of luck along the way too. The win ratio has been really high and the trophy success.

“People say winning is a habit but truthfully it is about hard work and graft and if the boys continue to do that they will reap what they sow.

“I’m constantly in review mode. To get your heartrate down and not worry about another match coming up was very enjoyable in July and get a few phone calls or a few coffees with the boys.

"Looking back at photographs and chatting to supporters about it, it was really special and really exciting but it was also good to get away from it and refresh and recharge,” he added.

“[On] recruitment, I just focus on what we have and if people want to join they are always welcome. We have links from our youth rugby and the local schools, we just focus on who we are, what we’ve got and how to make that better.”

Ballymena is one of a handful of clubs Orchin-McKeever has played for in the AIL and he was part of the squad that helped the Co Antrim side secure promotion.

“I was part of the squad that got Ballymena promotion in the first year that I came up from Blackrock,” he said. “Lovely club, great and passionate people, very proud people and it is exciting for us to play them in a competitive fixture.

“There used to be a first XV fixture when you got entered into the Town’s Cup but it is definitely a first league fixture.

“It’s Ulster League; there was a bit of a tradition when I played the game and you still hear coaches talking about hit outs and warm-ups for the All Ireland League, but it is clearly about building moment, match performances and fitness for the AIL, it is an exciting opportunity to take on Ballymena.”

It is going to be a big day for Ballyclare both on and off the pitch as Orchin-McKeever acknowledged.

“The work behind the scenes at the club for the new season is quite exciting,” he said.

"A commercial committee has been set up headed by Steven Crawford looking to see how they can build their pre-match meals and revenues for bringing money in, and creating a really nice environment that people want to come and be a part of at the Cloughan.

“The first opportunity for a pre-match lunch is Ballymena – Willie John McBride has great connections to the club through Ronnie Lamont.

“Willie John will speak at the pre-match and hopefully a few nice words and probably a bit of emotion behind it as a well, as the club lost Ronnie recently.

“To have Willie John is quite exciting and a spectacle for the pre-game and then it is on to us to enjoy the game.”