Nigel aiming to scupper his hometown team’s glory bid

Instead, the local man will be in the Glenavon dugout this Saturday, attempting to mastermind the downfall of his hometown team.

The 29-year-old has been a key part of Gary Hamilton’s revolution at Glenavon, since being appointed first team coach after Hamilton took over in December 2011.

It’s all a far cry from six years ago when the former Ballymena Academy pupil took his first tentative steps in coaching, with Ballymena United’s under-11 team.

“I had played youth football with Cullybackey Blues but then I had glandular fever and pleurisy when I was 19, which floored me for the best part of a year,” says Nigel, who grew up outside Cullybackey and whose parents still live in Ahoghill.

“I had always had an interest in coaching and I started out helping Stewart Neill with the under-11s at Ballymena.

“While I was there, the late Shea Hamill was the Director of Ballymena United Youth Academy and he had a huge influence on me - I loved sharing ideas on coaching with him and I learned so much from him.”

It was after he took over the management of United’s under-16 team that his coaching career really took off, as he led the Sky Blues through the 2009/10 season unbeaten, at an ultra-competitive age group.

That attracted the attention of Glentoran, who offered him the role of reserve team coach and it was while managing the second string at the Oval that Nigel first came into contact with Gary Hamilton, who had been banished from the Glentoran first team panel by then manager Scott Young.

“Gary liked the coaching methods I used and he and I used to stay behind after training at the Billy Neill Stadium and chat about ideas and philosophies.

“When Gary got the manager’s job at Glenavon he asked me if I wanted to be part of his backroom team and I jumped at the chance.

“Glenn Ferguson was appointed at Ballymena about a fortnight after Gary took over at Glenavon so they have been in their respective jobs for pretty much the same time and you can see the progress that both clubs have made.

“There’s definitely not a lot between the two teams - we reached the split four points ahead of Ballymena, which is virtually just one result, and the two teams’ form has probably been just about neck and neck since September or October.

“The one thing I have noticed since the semi-finals is the level of interest from neutral fans - the fact that it’s two teams who haven’t had much success in the Irish Cup in recent years seems to have captured the public’s imagination.

“If Ballymena were playing against any other team in the Irish Cup final, and if I had a free day, there’s no doubt I would hook up with some mates and go and watch the match.

“It’s an unbelievable irony that the first time Ballymena reach an Irish Cup final, virtually in my lifetime, I’m going to be in the other dugout so on this occasion, I hope Ballymena fans have to wait another year!” laughs Nigel.