With Dan Casey shown a straight red card for handling Mykola Kukharevych’s shot three minutes into the second half of Saturday’s 2-1 win at home to St Mirren, Ebiye Moses was sacrificed and Balmer thrown on for his Premiership debut.
Even though he joined the Motherwell team through unfavorable circumstances, Kofi Balmer feels it’s his responsibility to hang onto the shirt.
The 24-year-old Northern Irishman has patiently waited for his chance – that was only his second appearance since signing from Crystal Palace’s Academy in June.
Defender Balmer started and scored in Motherwell’s 3-0 win over Edinburgh City to kick off their Premier Sports Cup group stages back in July, but has been cooling his heels since.
It was enjoyable. I had to wait patiently for it for a long time, but happily it finally happened,” Balmer remarked.
“Obviously, the situation with Dan being suspended wasn’t ideal, but it happened, I had to step in and take care of business, and I believe I did that.
“I believe it is now my responsibility to perform, perform well in training, earn the slot, and ideally hold onto it.
“You’re in a position of constant conflict. The coach says you have to play well to keep the shirt if you win it.
“I think that’s all on me, I have to keep concentrating and try to perform the best I can.
“You always have to be ready. You never know when you’re going to get your opportunity, so for me it was not to lose the head, not to throw the toys out the pram, I just had to be patient.
“I was always ready to come on and take the opportunity, and the manager was talking to me, saying I would get my chance.
“That’s good for me as well, because it keeps me in the right frame of mind to always be ready when the opportunity comes.
“Saturday probably came on quicker than I expected, but at the same time I had done all my preparation, so I was ready to come on and do the job that I had to do.”
Balmer began his professional career in 2016 with Ballymena United. He later went to Larne and then to the junior system of Crystal Palace, where he spent time on loan at Port Vale and Wimbledon.
For the young stopper, working alongside France World Cup legend Patrick Vieira at Palace was a huge boost, but Balmer feels several people have had a significant influence.
That has led him to Scotland, to Glasgow, and Balmer reckons he’s in the right place.
“Patrick Vieira was a huge one for me, the kind of person he is, he’s huge in the football world, but he has so much experience and he was there to help you,” he said.
“Someone who has won the World Cup and everything, anything he says to you, you’re going to take it on board and use it to try and progress in your career.
“Back home, my first manager David Jeffrey was a huge name back home, and if he didn’t give me that opportunity I probably wouldn’t have this opportunity to be here.
“I’ve had loads of managers that have helped me along the way, so I feel that every club I’ve been at there has been someone there who has had a big impact on my career.”
Balmer added: “I’ve really enjoyed it at Motherwell. I wanted to come and play men’s football every week, this is a great spot for me, it’s a great opportunity, and I feel that Glasgow as well is very similar to back home.
“I believe I’ve adapted well, and having your family visit is beneficial. The family and I find the 20-minute flight convenient, but overall, I believe the change has been beneficial for me thus far.
“Caolan [Boyd-Munce], one of my best friends, is at St. Mirren. I was often talking to him, and he assured me that I would love it and that it would be a worthwhile experience.
It’s a nice place to be since, like me, he wasn’t really playing much until he moved over here and received his international call-up. From there, he developed and excelled.
Balmer anticipates a struggle in Edinburgh and is poised to start in his first Premiership game on Saturday as Motherwell travels to Hibs at Easter Road.
“Every game is going to be tough, so we have to prepare properly, look at the game plan, and stick with that,” he stated.
It’s critical to receive three points. Even the game against St Mirren on Saturday there, it was essential for us to bounce back after Aberdeen and we achieved that, so we want to take that energy into Saturday and earn the three points, then enjoy the break and rest up.
“This place we’re in is fantastic—it’s everything you could want. You want to win the cups and perform well in the league, and I believe we are.
We have a large enough and competent enough squad to rotate, bench, and alter players as needed. We should keep going after the international break as I think we have the momentum.
“We must care about ourselves and focus on our strengths; we cannot worry about them excessively. That should put us in a strong position to win the match.