Spirit of 89 club provides £2k boost for United

Members of the Spirit of 89 SC handed over a cheque for £2,000 to the parent club before Saturday’s home game against Crusaders.

“A fair bit of it came from a very successful Night at the Races we held recently in the Smithfield Arms but we have been doing well on our buses and members’ dues,” explained Spirit of 89 chairman David McCaig, one of the people behind the club’s formation in the summer.

“It was something I thought long and hard about but I came to the decision that the time was right to do it.

“I knew the football club was struggling financially a wee bit and I thought I could do something to help on that front.

“It has always been an ambition of mine to start a supporters’ club and I’m very proud of what we have achieved so far.

“At the first meeting we stipulated two main aims - to raise money for the parent club and to run buses to all away matches.

“We capped our membership at 43 members and we run a 29-seater bus to every away game.

“It’s a well-run club and we’re hoping to hand over another £1,000 to the parent club before the end of the season,” added David.

Ballymena United chairman John Taggart said: “It’s great to see a new supporters’ club formed with so many great people who do such good work around the club and the Board certainly appreciate this sizeable amount of money at this time.