and with him the last remaining link to the 'old' Ballymena side. During the summer his contribution to the club was recognised when the club granted him a testimonial, the first such gesture by United. Ballymena United finished bottom of the Irish League for the first time, after managing only four league wins over the course of the season. An Irish Cup run to the semi-final stage, before elimination to the mighty Belfast Celtic was the only cheer for the Light Blues. They carried this disastrous form into the following season when they suffered a record defeat to Derry City (1–9) and losing the next six games before the board appointed Steve Mitchell as player-manager – he instantly turned things around as Ballymena won 14 of their next 17 games. Unfortunately despite their Championship form they rose from bottom to fifth in the table, only 8 points behind eventual winners Belfast Celtic. The club also made their first appearance in the final of the County Antrim Shield though lost 3–2 to Linfield. This run of confidence ran all the way through to the following season, as Ballymena United nearly completed an historic double of the Irish League and Irish Cup – eventually finishing runners-up in both competitions. Finishing an agonising five points behind Belfast Celtic in the league race and a fourth Irish Cup final saw a third defeat to Linfield in the showpiece event, this time a 2–0 defeat at Solitude. However, one year on Ballymena United went one better by lifting the 1940 Irish Cup after a 2–0 win over Glenavon in which Sclater and Moore. This was the last 'proper' Irish Cup before province wide football was suspended due to World War Two. United were not to kick a ball in anger again until the 1946–47 season. The club withdrew from the Irish League shortly after the end of the season when the Showgrounds was taken over to assist the war effort. One can only wonder this squad of players could have achieved if given another couple of seasons together. Post-war United (1946–1957) Even though WW2 ended in time for the commencement of the 1945–46 season it was not until the following term that Ballymena United made their comeback into the Irish League. Home friendlies early in 1946 were arranged against Belfast Celtic and Linfield but both were cancelled because the Showgrounds complex was not ready following