Chris Ramsey endured a whirlwind 10 days in charge of Ballyclare which encompassed every emotion but ended with a victory that “felt better than any result as a player.”
The Comrades captain took his first coaching course aged 23 and has his eyes set on a long-term career in the game, but never imagined having such responsibility this soon.
The experienced defender was elevated into the interim management position at Dixon Park after Paul Harbinson’s departure earlier this month.
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There was little time for planning or reflection with three quickfire matches at the helm, culminating in Saturday’s 3-1 win at home to Dergview.
Ramsey explained to Match on Tuesday: “Obviously your focus is always on the playing side of things but it is something that I have always been mindful of.
“In those 10 days in charge you learn more than any course can give you, but it was hugely enjoyable and is something that I will have my eyes on after my playing career.
“Of course, there are stressful elements in it as well, because a player’s problem becomes your problem and you have to find solutions when things do not go to plan.
“We lost our captain after 20 minutes in our first game against Ards then had a late injury prior to our game to Loughgall – you have to react to those setbacks.
“I still have a few years left in my career but I have been given a taste of it and it’s something I will look into in the future.
“It is much more rewarding than winning as a player.”
Ramsey’s playing career encompassed spells at Ballymena, Portadown, Cliftonville, Larne and Carrick, prior to his switch to Dixon Park this summer.
His first game in charge swiftly descended into a nightmare – a five-goal defeat at Ards – but an impressive response saw them denied a win at Loughgall by a heartbreaking last-gasp equaliser prior to Saturday’s clash proving to be third time lucky.
“Our approach against Ards was too open and we got punished for it, so we had to tweak our approach for the following games,” Ramsey explained.
“It was a really quick turnaround from that opening game, but we learnt lessons from that first match and our setup was really good in the follow-up games.
“We had been looking for an improvement from the worst possible start we could have had, but Tuesday was a kick in the teeth to lose those two points so late on.
“Saturday was an improvement again, we played closer together as a team and we squeezed our team closer to Michael Smith up top.
“We dominated large spells against Dergview and we got our just rewards for it.”
Ramsey will now revert back to his captaincy role within the squad as Stephen Small takes the permanent post at the Comrades.
Small led Carrick to the Premiership in 2011, winning the Championship 1 title as well as the Intermediate Cup.
“Stephen will come in now and we think we have given him something to build on, as we talked about on Saturday,” Ramsey added.
“We are unbeaten now for a few games and that is only two games but it is a base for us – he has seen the worst of us against Ards but the best of us since, so he will have an idea of the strengths and weaknesses.
“The players have that little bit of confidence and self-belief now to build on – the four points have been important in giving us that buffer from the bottom three sides.”
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