From ambitions of staying in the league to being 180 minutes away from sealing promotion

It has been a remarkable run for Lisburn-based Rangers, who have had to wait patiently to find out both the confirmed dates and opposition for the crucial play-off following their second-placed finish behind Bangor.

They now know they’ll take on Knockbreda – manager Forsythe’s former club – twice next week, first at The Bluebell Stadium on Tuesday before travelling to Breda Park on Saturday afternoon.

Twelve months after a 5-2 play-off victory over St James Swifts which sealed their spot in the third-tier of Northern Irish football, Forsythe is dreaming of creating yet more history – even if they’ve arrived here slightly ahead of schedule.

"I sat with the board at the start of the season and they told me the aim was to stay in the league - that was genuinely the aim of the club,” he said. “They had said to me that if we finished 11th they would be delighted.

"These are the games you want to be involved in, want to play in and are the reason why we are in football. I'll always back myself to do well but I probably didn't think we would achieve this much this quickly.

"What we've achieved has been incredible and we've came such a long way in a short space of time.

"To be 180 minutes away from the Championship is daunting in its own right because 12 months ago we were nip and tuck with Crewe United whether we were going to get out of the Mid-Ulster League or not.

"We're probably a year or two ahead of where we thought we would be. We're in football to play in big games, under big pressure and for big rewards."

Ballymacash are certainly an ambitious club looking to take the next step, as shown by the installation of a new artificial surface in 2020, a stand followed the next year and work has began on the Sports Academy, which will house a CryoSpa, gym and be at the “centre of the community”.

That ambition off the pitch has been matched with progress on it and Forsythe is looking to give back to those that have shown faith in him.

"No matter what happens the club are here to stay at this level and I don't think we'll ever go back to the Mid-Ulster League,” he added. “Hopefully we continue to grow stronger and stronger and if it doesn't go our way then we will learn from it.

"It hasn't happened too often getting consecutive promotions and it would be absolutely unbelievable. We aren't getting carried away - we're still 180 minutes away from achieving it.

"You can get lost in those things. It would bring its own challenges if we went up because we have really punched above our weight this year.

"We've had such a tough year - it's been really physically demanding. We have came over so many hurdles together and I would be delighted for the club and the people who have put faith in me.

"They have allowed me to do my own thing and allowed me to play my way. It would be a great thanks to all those guys, but when you go up you need to make sure you're ready.

"We respect them (Knockbreda) but this is what you want to be playing for and involved in. I could have been sitting on the beach three weeks ago bored to tears and you wouldn't want that!

"It's brilliant to see the exposure the club is getting. People are more aware of who and what we are and we try to conduct ourselves the right way on and off the pitch.

"It would be unbelievable but we need to stay calm and not get carried away. We will stay humble and that's what has got us this far."