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The time has arrived and Omar is delighted to share with you an interview with a Sky Blue legend, the 'Ballymena Boy' himself , Norman Clarke. Norman has given a full and frank interview, holding nothing back and telling it as he sees it and his memories are as fresh as they were when he saw United lift the Irish cup in 1958, beating the mighty Linfield at the Oval, 2-0. A few short months later Norman fulfilled his and all Sky Blues fans dream, by making his debut for his beloved United against Cliftonville at Solitude and the rest as they say is history. You can read the first instalment of this interview tomorrow, Tuesday night, exclusively  in Sky Blue Sport, entitled The Norman Clarke Interview, we think it will make for compulsive reading, enjoy!

The inimitable Sammy Patterson (no relation to big Tommy of Seven Towers fame, or Billy of the dry humour), has written an introduction to the interview and we publish it here:

Omar has managed to secure an exclusive interview with Ballymena United legend Norman Clarke. Norman made his first appearance for Ballymena in the 58/59 season, playing on the left wing - making his debut against Cliftonville at the age of only 16. A trophy soon followed in the form of the Ulster Cup in 1960, as Geoff Twentyman's legendary side ran out 3-1 winners in the final against Glenavon. Norman played his part the following season when United came within two points of winning the Irish League.

Norman's talents saw him represent the Irish League at inter-league level, representing Northern Ireland at amateur level and winning two caps at U23 level. Not only this but he quickly attracted interest from across the Irish Sea and was signed by Sunderland in 1962. Unfortunately for Norman and for the Black Cats, the Ballymena Boy suffered a knee injury at the age of 22 which put an end to his professional career.

Norman returned to Warden Street in 1966, as player / caretaker manager. Following six games in the Warden Street hot seat, Norman continued to play for the Sky Blues.

Omar is privileged to secure this exclusive interview, having got to know the Ballymena Boy properly when they were neighbours during Norman's second spell at the Showgrounds. Norman showed his class during regular kick-a-rounds at Smithfield Park (formerly "the dump") with jumpers for goalposts. Norman always gave 100% and certainly gave Omar the run-a-round.

Norman is not only a Ballymena legend but a real gentleman and was kind enough to give a frank and detailed interview by mail from his home in England. I'll not ruin any more of the story, I'll leave it to the man himself. If you're lucky enough to have a copy of his 1997 book "The Ballymena Boy" you can read a lot more about his career. Omar has a copy in pride of place on his book-shelf but he's certainly not keen to lend it out.

A summary of Norman's achievements:
5 Youth Caps
6 Amateur Caps
1 Great Britain Amateur Cap
2 Inter-League Caps
2 U-23 Caps
Ulster Cup Winner
Irish Cup Runner -Up
City Cup Runner-Up

Omar has been frantically transcribing Norman's hand-written manuscripts and anticipates publishing the interview in four parts, as follows:
Part 1: December 3
Part 2: December 10
Part 3: December 17
Part 4: December 24, just in time for Christmas!

I hope you enjoy. Please excuse any inaccuracies or errors above, Omar is relying on memory and Google. Regardless, I dare-say none of this would diminish the message that Norman is a true Sky Blue legend!