Ballymena United manager Jim Ervin has admitted he was not overly optimistic that in-form attacking midfielder Ben Kennedy would join the Showgrounds club in the summer after being transfer-listed by Crusaders.

The former Stevenage player rejected overtures from other Irish Premiership clubs to sign for the Sky Blues and has played a key role as his side have recovered from four consecutive league defeats to put together a run of five straight top flight victories.

Kennedy has chipped in with nine goals to top the Premiership goalscoring charts and help propel the Braidmen to second spot in the table ahead of this weekend's programme of fixtures.

"Ben is a quality footballer and when a player like him becomes available you have to ask the question," Ervin told BBC Sport NI.

"I’ll be honest with you, when we asked the question, did I think Ben would come to Ballymena United? Probably not, because of the other clubs that were interested in him, but to be fair to Ben he listened to the vision that we had, we had a conversation, he spoke to other clubs, and he chose to come here.

"We’re delighted. The goals that he’s scored are important ones but it’s also the confidence he has brought to the players around him."

Ervin believes the close season acquisition of Kennedy was "probably the biggest signing he can ever remember for Ballymena", his arrival one of many after a campaign which saw the club come perilously close to dropping out of the top division, preserving their status only after a two-legged play-off win over Institute.

The United manager is delighted the ex-Crues player is "certainly living up to his billing".

"Whenever he became available we were hearing about this bad attitude, 'he doesn’t care about this, he doesn’t care about that', but I haven’t seen that once with Ben. Any time I’ve spoken to Ben, seen him in and around the club. he’s been nothing but professional and he leads by example on the football pitch.

"That’s all we can ask, that when players come here they give us everything on the training nights and give everything on a matchday and so far I can’t question Ben on any of the stuff that I have heard previously.

"He looks like he is here to prove a point and he has certainly lived up to the expectation of what he was when we brought him here."

Former Coleraine players Stephen O'Donnell, Josh Carson, Aaron Jarvis, Jack O'Mahony and Andy Scott are among the other new faces drafted in by Ervin.

“The guys, from the first discussions we had with them, all wanted to be here," he revealed.

Ervin and his charges next face an encounter with a Portadown side who are impressing on their return to the Premiership, having put together a six-match unbeaten run.

The Ballymena boss says he is expecting "a really difficult game, a tough battle" against Niall Currie's team at Shamrock Park.

"It's refreshing to have them back where they belong. They have brought in quality all over the place," Ervin observed.

"It’s my job to make sure everybody stays level-headed and we keep our feet firmly on the ground and prepare to give everything we’ve got in our next game.

"When you get results you grow in confidence. It is only five league wins so we have to keep that going."

Ballymena have another summer signing, John Herron, available for Saturday's game, as he has completed a 10-match ban handed out in August 2022 for bringing the game into disrepute after wearing a t-shirt with a pro-IRA slogan.

"John’s ban is now up so he is now available for selection but obviously John will need to play games to get himself to a level of fitness to where the rest of the guys are. That’s what we’ll be helping him with over the next couple of weeks," explained Ervin.

"We’ve got a really strong squad and they’re pushing each other like mad in training to get into a matchday squad so everyone’s having to be on their game."