David Jeffrey hopes Ballymena United’s fightback win over Cliftonville offered a brief respite from a devastating week for the County Antrim town.
The generous Braid club gave former Wrightbus employees free entry into Saturday’s Danske Bank Premiership clash with the Reds at the Showgrounds.
Around 1,200 workers at the former Galgorm plant on the outskirts of Ballymena were told on Wednesday they were being made redundant after the firm was put into administration.
And the Sky Blues delivered with a gutsy 2-1 victory after trailing in-form Cliftonville to Rory Donnelly’s classy first-half strike.
Jeffrey said: “We fought like absolute tigers on what has been a really difficult week for the town of Ballymena and that was pleasing.
“I was proud that our players showed the level of commitment they did on a day when the club invited the Wrightbus workers affected by the closure to the game.
“It was only a token gesture - and our club knows that - but I was really pleased we got a win in the manner we did on this week of all weeks. That was for them.”
Raiding wing-back Andy McGrory fired home Ballymena’s equaliser from a Leroy Millar cross in the 57th minute before Jeffrey’s men won it 12 minutes later.
Ryan Mayse got his head to a McGrory cross and the ball ricocheted off Reds defender Conor McDermott and past the wrong footed Richard Brush.
On Friday, music legend to workers affected by the Wrightbus collapse.
The Scottish singer tweeted: “Three cheers for Ballymena United. What a wonderful, charitable gesture to the Wrightbus employees. There should be more of this in football.”
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