Ross Redman hopes it’s third time lucky as he plots a first ever Irish Cup triumph in Saturday’s Samuel Gelston’s Irish Cup final with Crusaders at Windsor Park.
The experienced defender has suffered the pain of defeat twice before in the showpiece, losing out with former club Portadown in 2010 and 2015.
He was on the end of a 2-1 defeat to Linfield in the 2010 final and a controversial 1-0 loss to Glentoran at the Oval five years later.
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“The older you get the more you appreciate these moments and stepping out in an Irish Cup final,” said Redman who turns 33 later this year.
“You can have a long career, but you don’t always get the opportunity to play in the showpiece or lift the trophy, so you’ve got to savour it.
“It’s a fantastic competition and one of the big two trophies you can win here. It’s also a route into Europe which is important for a club like Ballymena.
“I’ve said to some of our younger players to enjoy the build-up and take it all in, but when it comes to the match, you’ve got to be ready.”
While Redman is currently the oldest outfield player at Ballymena, he wasn’t born the last time the Sky Blues lifted the cup in May 1989.
“I was born in 1989 but a few months after the final, although some people maybe think I’m older and want to look at my passport to check my age,” he joked.
“I’m well aware of the history and the fact it’s been a long time since Ballymena won the Irish Cup. You’d hope that wait would end sooner rather than later.
“But for us, it’s about playing the game on the day. History and anything else goes out the window on the day of an Irish Cup final.
“It normally comes down to the best team on the day. Whoever produces the best performance will lift the cup and hopefully it is us.”
When Redman joined United in 2020, fans greeted his arrival as a low key signing, but two years later the former Ports and Glentoran left-back is one of David Jeffrey’s most reliable performers.
“When I signed I told Davy (Jeffrey) that I still believed I had something left as a player and I wanted to enjoy my football again,” he said.
“That was a big thing for me and I couldn’t thank Ballymena as a club and Davy enough. It has been refreshing in the sense that it has allowed me to go back to enjoy playing again.
“Ballymena is a proper family club and they really look after you and I know for me and others, you want to give something special back to them.
“It would be fantastic for our supporters and Ballymena as a community if we could bring the Irish Cup back to the town on Saturday night.
“To be honest, it’s probably not as much about ourselves but what it would do for Ballymena as a town and a community. That’s a big motivation for us.”
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