Swift sale of final tickets no surprise as Jeffrey praises Sky Blues fans

Ballymena United manager David Jeffrey paid tribute to the club’s supporters after they helped their side over the line on Saturday.

In truth, the boss had two reasons to crow about the Sky Blue fans after the club also sold out their 2,340 ticket allocation for next month’s League Cup final in just a few hours.

“People said if we can get the club going in the right direction, there’s a great support there,” he said after his side’s late 3-1 win over Carrick.

“Sometimes you hear the odd dissenter but on a difficult day like (Saturday), I didn’t hear anything but support. Those are the days that you need your people with you. They understood. They understood the pitch was difficult and there was a blinding sun. They drove the team on - that was the class thing.

“It was as much about the supporters and their patience.

“What really is underlined for me is that some people think we are entering the League Cup final as favourites - load of rubbish.

“In my short time at the club, it does not surprise me that we have so out our allocation.”

The Northern Ireland Football League are making a limited number of tickets available to United, which the club are hoping to receive this week.