Hero of ’89 Hardy backs United to rewrite history books
PAUL Hardy reckons Ballymena United’s name is on the Sadler’s Peaky Blinder Irish Cup.
The Sky Blues haven’t paraded the trophy for a staggering 31 years, but their former striker believes David Jeffrey’s boys can topple Glentoran in tonight’s final at Windsor Park to end three decades of agony.
It was Hardy who hit the winning goal against Larne in the 1989 final at The Oval and he has been dining out on his party piece ever since.
However, he insists the time is right for the current crop of players to write themselves into the fabric of the club by bringing the trophy back to the Showgrounds.
“It won’t be an easy game, but sometimes you need a bit of Lady Luck, and I think Ballymena had that against Coleraine in the semi-final,” says Hardy.
“That’s what happens in cup football — especially if your name is on it.
“To be honest, I never saw it coming. I watched the game on television and Coleraine appeared to be doing all the right things to see out the match — they were slowing things down and really trying to kill it.
“But I also noticed the two wise men of Irish League football — David Jeffrey and Bryan Mcloughlin — having a long chat on the touchline.
“They were obviously plotting changes. Suddenly, they made three or four substitutions and it paid a huge dividend. It was no surprise one of them, Kenny Kane, got the equaliser deep into injury time. “Ironically, the three other subs — Andy Mcgrory, Aaron Burns and Leroy Millar — all had a hand in the goal, so it was a massive decision by David and Bryan and one that paid off. “That’s the reason they both have been so successful for such a long period of time. I thought the fresh legs helped inject a bit more pace into Ballymena — they certainly made an impact. When that happens in cup football, it’s maybe an omen.
“But I must say both sets of players deserve a huge amount of credit for turning in such a great performance after being out for four months. I just hope that the two periods of extra-time does not take its toll on both sides for the final.”
Hardy (left) still has vivid memories of that sunny afternoon at The Oval when United defeated his former club Larne in the 1989 decider.
He adds: “It’s been a long time. We had a good win over Linfield in the semi-final. Hav
ing drawn the first game, in which I was fortunate enough to score, we replayed on the Tuesday night.
“Big John Garrett headed into his own net to give the Blues the lead, but Dermot Doherty levelled with a bullet header and I was lucky enough to score the winner late on.
“We then went on to beat my old club, Larne, in the final.
“Paul Malone (Larne boss) had sold me the previous year. It was a bit of a blow because I had a lot of good friends at the club.
“We won the Ulster Cup and got to the 1987 Irish Cup final only to be beaten by a very good Glentoran side.
“We had a close-knit group at Larne and we all still keep in touch. But I moved on to Ballymena United, under Alex Mckee, who I had played under before.
“To be honest, it turned out to be a great move for me.
“Again, I was lucky enough to score the winner in that final with a little cheeky back-heel, which came from a Lindsay Curry corner kick.
“Hopefully the current group can go on and write themselves into the history books.
“There is no doubt that Glentoran have made massive improvement this season under Mick Mcdermott and my old mate Paul ‘Windy’ Millar, but my money is still on the Sky Blues.”