New Dundela signing looking to get 'best out of myself' after sealing Championship switch

Smith, who progressed through the ranks at Linfield before enjoying further Irish League spells at Carrick Rangers and Portadown prior to joining Ballymacash in 2022, was one of three new arrivals announced at Wilgar Park last week alongside goalkeeper Aaron Hogg and Oisin Barr as Stephen Gourley’s side look to mount another title challenge next season.

The 27-year-old has been a standout star at the Bluebell Stadium in recent times, helping the Lisburn-based outfit finish second and third in the Premier Intermediate League over the past two seasons respectively, and produced form that caught the attention of multiple clubs, but decided to opt for Dundela.

It comes 12 months after Gourley had showed an initial interest in acquiring Smith’s services and that ultimately helped sway the talented midfielder towards the Duns.

"They tried to get me to go last year but it just wasn't the right time,” he said. “It was great that the club came back in for me because it means they are keen.

"I had interest from a couple of other Championship teams, but it was just the whole atmosphere of Dundela that stood out and everyone was so welcoming. The fact the manager has been keen to sign me from the start did it for me as well.

"As soon as the season ended he was straight onto me and that gave me a lift too because it makes you feel wanted. It just felt right and I had a good vibe about it.”

Smith has previous experience of playing in the Irish League’s top-flight with Portadown and racked up almost 50 PIL appearances for Ballymacash, but he’s now looking forward to testing himself in the Championship – a league he made one outing in for Carrick back in August 2018, ironically against Dundela.

"I'm not getting any younger and I want to do as well as I can at the highest level I can for as long as I can,” he added. “Dundela is a well run club and is a big club too so this is a good move for me to do that.

"I can't wait for it. I'm buzzing to get started. People have been asking me when pre-season is and when I tell them it's on June 20 they say 'that's quick' but I'm thinking the quicker you get back at it the better.

"It's all about proving yourself and I want to get the best out of myself. I've played in the Premiership and in the PIL, but I've never really had a good run in the Championship to give it a good go. Hopefully this year I can show what I can do."

The move to Ballymacash marked Smith’s most enjoyable period of his career to date, scoring 27 goals across competitions in his first season before moving into a deeper role last term.

He was involved in some of the club’s biggest moments so far, such as playing against Glentoran in front of the TV cameras in the Irish Cup sixth round, and admits it was a tough decision to leave.

"I really loved it there,” he said. “Ballymacash is a fantastic club and it was really sad to leave. I hope they do go on and get promotion, but for myself I wanted to move up and play higher.

"Ballymacash will always be with me. It killed me to leave because it was like home. I was there at the weekends and through the week coaching, but I want to better myself so I've left. It was hard but a decision had to be made."