A new manager, Billy Reid, was appointed on 1 May but only lasted until late October, resigning after citing he could not devote enough time to the job and control of team affairs went back to committee.

Despite a first round exit to Linfield in the Irish Cup, the game attracted a record crowd of 9,067 and was a real end-to-end affair which afterwards saw the transfer of Frankie Houghton to Newcastle United for £6,000 – which was quite a considerable sum back then.

Norman Kernaghan took over as player-manager and after a moderate first season he finished his second campaign as Irish Cup finalists and County Antrim Shield winners in 1950–51 – beating Cliftonville in the final.

The Sky Blues finished sixth in the race for the Gibson Cup and defender Eric Trevorrow was given the prestigious honour of being named Ulster Footballer of the Year by the Castlereagh Glentoran Supporters Club.

A third-place finish that season had many believing that United would pick up where they left off, becoming the biggest provincial side in the country; Having been the first team outside Belfast to win the County Antrim Shield.

Teenage goalkeeper Jim Platt was transferred to Middlesbrough (where he won 21 caps for Northern Ireland) for £7,000 and Ballymena Council purchased the Showgrounds in two major off the field happenings.

United were involved in the incident which led to Derry City's expulsion from the Irish League as their bus was burnt on a visit to the Brandywell during the height of the troubles in the province.

On the field Jimmy Martin was the major sensation as his goals brought United's best performance in the ill-fated Texaco Cup – where the Sky Blues lost to Scottish side Airdieonians at the semi-final stage 1972, who went on to lose to Derby County in the final.

However, United won the Gold Cup – beating Glentoran 3–2 with Quentin McFall, Dessie Orr and Jimmy Brown scoring for the Sky Blues for the first and only time in the competition's prestigious history.

Former favourite from the 1958 side Eddie Russell became player-manager and scored as United won the County Antrim Shield for the first time in 25 years – beating Distillery 4–0 at Inver Park.

After the burning of the stand and by social club members of the travelling community, the Showgrounds underwent major work and the side was unable to play at the main pitch until the next season.

During the 1978–79 season Johnston made way for the arrival of Alan Campbell and he moulded arguably one of the best United teams of recent years, who would constantly challenge for honours and even came second in the Irish League in 1979–80.

Former Northern Ireland manager, Nigel Worthington was transferred to Notts County for a club record £125,000 fee after the Irish Cup win; United had also lost influential midfielder Gerry Mullan to Everton earlier in the season.

Ivan Murray took over from Alan Campbell who resigned in January 1982, but failed to reproduce the team's best form and was duly dismissed to be replaced by former Crusaders boss Ian Russell – who many thought would definitely bring success back to Warden Street.

After Ian Russell's departure, it was Jim Platt who took over as player-manager at the Showgrounds and United, inspired by Sion Mills teenager Johnny Speak, defeated Carrick Rangers in the Irish Cup Final in 1984.

Jimmy Brown took the reigned from the departed Campbell in May 1985, but despite two full seasons in charge at Warden Street he could not turn the team's fortunes with only a single County Antrim Shield Final appearance to show for his troubles, he resigned in September 1987 after a humiliating defeat to Larne.

The managerial merry-go-round continued when local man Gary Erwin was appointed in October 1994 in a vain attempt to secure a place in the Premier League, despite a famous win against Linfield, he failed miserably and was shown the door in March 1995.

1996–97's crop of players finally brought a League Championship to the Ballymena Showgrounds for the first time, albeit the First Division, which Alan Fraser's side impressively won at a canter.

This also ensured promotion to the top-flight after two seasons in the First Division as 21 wins from 28 games meant an astounding 15 point gap between United's nearest challengers, Omagh Town, in second place.

Striker and talisman Glenn Hunter proved his worth by almost single-handedly keeping the Sky Blues in the division, as United avoided relegation on the final day of the season after defeating Portadown at Shamrock Park to maintain top-flight status amidst wild scenes of jubilation.

More departures followed the following summer and despite an encouraging start to the 2000–01 season, United's frailties caught up with them and Nigel Best was sacked after an unacceptable run of results in December 2000, cumulating with a 5–2 defeat to Newry Town.

Despite a late flurry in the final weeks of the campaign Ballymena just were not good enough and suffered relegation to the First Division after failing to defeat Portadown at home, when a win would have at least guaranteed another shot at survival in the play-offs.

It proved a season of rebuilding in the second-tier of Irish League football as the erratic Shiels made a number of 'big-name' signings which all flopped before the eyes of the supporters; former Northern Ireland goalkeeper Tommy Wright, former Leeds United defender Paul Beesley and Liberian striker Leon Browne all failed miserably to make an impact at the Braid.

This left Shiels with a number of totally inexperienced teenagers fighting his cause, however despite their best efforts, slumped to a dismal fifth-place finish during the 2001–02 season – Ballymena United's lowest ever placing in their history.

Media attention also circled around starlet striker Shea Campbell who bagged 38 goals and a Northern Ireland Under-21 cap as he was being hawked to moves across the water and also in the Irish League before committing himself to the Sky Blues.

The final nail in the coffin was the Irish Cup semi-final defeat to minnows Larne at the Oval, as the Braidmen finished a disappointing eighth after a season that had promised so much.

Despite a slow start, he stamped his authority on the side bringing a number of new players in including a young Scottish striker Kevin Kelbie, whose goals in the second half of the season almost fired United to their first trophy in 17 years when they agonisingly lost the County Antrim Shield final to Linfield at Seaview.

His debut as manager was a 1–1 draw with champions Crusaders and his team won a series of games before going on a losing run, failing to enter the Europa League Play-Offs following a 0–2 defeat to relegation-threatened Portadown.

Jeffrey and assistant Brian McLaughlin would depart the club in the summer of 2023, following a poor season in which United finished a distant 9th, and lost in the Irish Cup final to Crusaders.

Ervin was faced with a reduced budget on account of missing European football in the past two seasons, with many high-profile names, such as David McDaid and Craig Farquhar departing the club.