The first full set of Sports Direct Premiership fixtures has completed with Linfield leading the charge at the top of the table ahead of a chasing pack led by Cliftonville, champions Larne and Crusaders.

With every side having played each other once David Healy’s charges hold a healthy five point advantage with their early season dominance underlined by a comfortable two-goal victory over traditional derby rivals Glentoran on Friday at Windsor Park.

Chris Shields hit both goals for the Blues, opening the scoring on 37 minutes a well struck follow up into the bottom corner after Aaron McCarey had done well to punch away his initial ball into the area.

Then, on the stroke of half-time, Shields doubled up sending McCarey the wrong way from the spot awarded after Chris McKee had been brought down inside the area by Aidan Wilson.

Also on Friday night Larne were held at home by Crusaders.

Scoreless until just after the hour mark, Levi Ives broke the deadlock with a curling free-kick into the top corner before, with ten minutes remaining, Ben Kennedy levelled for the Crues following a mix up in the home defence.

On Saturday Ben Wilson claimed the match ball with a hat-trick as Cliftonville swept to a 5-0 defeat of Dungannon Swifts at Solitude.

The Reds gained the upper hand midway through the first half with Wilson's first of the afternoon, a header past Niall Morgan after Rory Hale had provided the telling cross.

Then, just four minutes after that, he doubled up after a good team move created an opening for him in the area to find space for a shot that wrong footed the visiting keeper.

Wilson hit his third just five minutes into the second half, this time from close range, to effectively kill the game off.

The scoring continued just sixty seconds after that with Joe Gormley getting in on the act with a chip over Morgan from outside the area with Sam Ashford wrapping things late in the game after being teed up by Shea Kearney inside the area.

Coleraine picked up their first league win in three outings with victory over Glenavon at The Showgrounds.

They had to come from behind to do so, however, after Jack Malone had fired the Lurgan Blues in front as early as the sixth minute when the 23-year-old approached a free-kick from 25-yards from goal to curl a right foot shot around the wall and beyond keeper Gareth Deane.

It was a lead Glenavon held until the stroke of half-time when Josh Carson hit Coleraine's equaliser from another free-kick, this time left footed, that went over the wall on its way past Rory Brown.

That was how it stayed until, with just over a quarter-of-an-hour to go, Matthew Shevlin rattled the crossbar as did Lee Lynch moments after that before Conor McKendry eventually found a way through with a driven effort from distance.

Shevlin did get his name on the scoresheet with a couple of minutes remaining with a low finish into the bottom corner, just before McKendry bagged his second with almost the last kick of the game.

Carrick Rangers defeated Loughgall by the odd goal in seven in an entertaining encounter at Lakeview Park.

The Villagers moved in front on 16 minutes through Jay Boyd who steered the ball home at the back post after being teed up by Caolan McAleer.

Rangers levelled just on the half-hour mark, however, after Kurtis Forsythe beat Berraat Turker with a strong strike in the box from Albert Watson's knock down.

And Stuart King's side hit another couple late in the first half to take a commanding lead in at the break.

Curtis Allen made it 2-1 on 37 minutes from Ben Tilney's pass from the left before, three minutes after that, Nedas Maciulaitis knocked home a half volley from Danny Purkis' left sided delivery.

Loughgall hit back just after the hour, however, when Andrew Hoey took advantage of a lapse in the visiting defence but it wasn't long before Allen restored Carrick's two-goal advantage after Purkis once again turned provider.

But back came the Villagers again with 12 minutes remaining after Benjamin Magee got past Albert Watson before slotting beyond Ross Glendinning.

A goal in each half saw Newry City pick up a crucial three points on the road at Ballymena United.

The bottom two sides going into the game, Newry drew first blood on 19 minutes when Adam Salley got past keeper Sean O'Neill to nod home an Adam Carroll cross from the right at close range.

Ballymena's cause wasn't helped early in the second half when they were reduced to ten men when Corrie Burns was involved in a tussle with Carroll for which he collected his second caution of the afternoon.

Newry suffered a dismissal themselves midway through the second half when Ryan McGivern also received a second booking of the game following a foul on Isaac Westendorf.

But with Ballymena pushing for an equaliser the game was settled as a contest with six minutes remaining when Lee Newell hit Newry's second on the counter attack after cutting inside and curling the finish past O'Neill.