GLENAVON SWEEP PAST OUT OF SORTS BALLYMENA

Glenavon eased to a three-goal Showgrounds victory over an out of sorts Ballymena United side that have now slumped to a fourth successive league reversal.

Despite how it ended up, it was the Sky Blues that enjoyed the better start to the game when Declan Carville headed just wide, Kyle Owens saw a long-range effort turned onto an upright and Cathair Friel sent a shot the wrong side of the target.

But it fell to the visitors to break the deadlock after 35 minutes. Conan Byrne will be credited with the goal after his free-kick from the edge of the area took a massive deflection off Owens and past United keeper Jordan Williamson.

And Glenavon might have doubled their advantage soon after through Daniel Purkis but his right-foot drive flew just past the right post, with a similar fate meeting a Friel chance just before the break after he ran onto an Andy McGrory through ball.

Ballymena kept pressing for the equaliser after the break with Carville forcing Jonny Tuffey into a diving save to turn the ball away for a corner with McGrory's subsequent set piece being headed against the crossbar by Friel.

However, on 65 minutes, Purkis made it 2-0 to Glenavon with a left-foot finish after he had been teed up by Jordan Jenkins.

Ballymena might have snatched a late consolation from Leroy Millar's free-kick but Tuffey again pulled off a good save to turn the ball around the post.

Gary Hamilton's side added a third deep into stoppage time through substitute Gregory Moorhouse who colleted the ball from Josh Daniels to make the most of some poor defending and round off a successful afternoon for the Lurgan Blues.

Ballymena United: Williamson, Kane, Addis, Friel, McCullough, Carville, McGrory, Ervin, Millar, Reece Glendinning, Owens subs Ross Glendinning (not used), Knowles (not used), Andrew Burns (replaced Ervin 46), Winchester (not used), Aaron Burns (replaced Addis 70), Kelly (replaced T. Kane 70), Lavery (not used)

Glenavon: Tuffey, Daniels, Byrne, Doyle, Harmon, Purkis, Snoddy, Singleton, Garrett, Jenkins, Birney subs Larmour (not used), Burns (not used), Moorhouse (replaced Jenkins 82), McCloskey (replaced Byrne 64), O’Mahoney (replaced Garrett 90), Beggs (not used), Sharkey (not used)