Ballinamallard United captain Aaron Arkinson is hoping his players will “find that consistency week in, week out” after they fell victim to Armagh City at Ferney Park on Saturday.
With the away side making it 3-0 with just under 20 minutes to play, a casual onlooker could be forgiven for thinking the home side were completely outplayed.
The Mallards captain was impressed with his side’s display, although the skipper accepts the manner of the goals conceded was disappointing.
“I felt that we started the game really well. As a team, we didn’t do a whole lot wrong for the majority of the match,” he told the Herald.
“However, the goals we conceded were very poor from our perspective. This is something we must improve on going forward”.
Castlederg native Arkinson has been almost ever-present for the Mallards since his arrival from neighbours Dergview in the summer of 2018.
An Irish Cup final and a tilt at the championship title before Covid-19 curtailed the season are high points for the versatile player. For ‘Arko’, it has been a positive start to the current campaign.
“The team has been playing really well this season so far and we really should have five or six more points on the board, only for a few late goals that we have conceded,” Arkinson said.
“We know that on our day we can beat anyone, but we just need to find that consistency week in, week out.
“I have really enjoyed working under Mark [Stafford] this season, as have all the players. He has been there and done it as a player and everyone around the club has a huge amount of respect for him.”
Saturday was the start of a busy spell of league and cup games for the Mallards. While Saturday’s result was disappointing, the captain insist his team just have to go again.
“The games are coming thick and fast for us, so we must dust ourselves down and go again,” said Arkinson.
“We have a tough League Cup fixture against Coleraine where we will be huge underdogs, before we travel to face Annagh United on Saturday.
“It’s always a tough place to go, but we will be looking to bounce back from the disappointment of the Armagh game and come away with a result.”
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