Match Centre

Premiership
Monday 2 January 2023 (kick off: 3.00 PM)

Venue: Ballymena Showgrounds

Attendance: 2004

Referee: Ross Dunlop

Ballymena United home-team
2 FT 0
away-team Glentoran
  •   Sean Graham 24'
  •   Ryan Waide 84'
football
Sean Graham opened the scoring for Ballymena ©Pacemaker Press

SKY BLUES 'TWO' STRONG FOR GLENS

Ballymena United got 2023 off to a winning start with a two-goal defeat of Glentoran at The Showgrounds.

The Sky Blues moved in front midway through the first half when Sean Graham dragged the ball onto his left foot before firing under keeper Aaron McCarey from an acute angle.

United went close again moments later with a Josh Kelly header while, at the other end, Sean O'Neill punched a Sean Murray free-kick to safety.

The Glens threatened again when Seanan Clucas connected with Rhys Marshall's cross before, not long from the break, he saw a header tipped over by the home keeper.

It was a similar tale in the second half - Jordan Gibson twice tested McCarey early on, while Marcus Kane fired narrowly over for the Glens with Clucas later nodding wide from a Hrvoje Plum corner.

However, Ballymena made sure of the points with six minutes left when Ryan Waide sent a crisp finish past McCarey after Jack Henderson had played him in from the left.

Ballymena United: O’Neill, Nelson, Whiteside, McDaid, Kelly, Waide, McCullough, Gibson, Keeley, Graham, Place subs Williamson, Redman, McElroy, Kane, Henderson, McGrory, McVarnock

Glentoran: McCarey, Kane, McCullough, Marshall, J. Donnelly, R. Donnelly, Murray, McClean, Clucas, Devlin, Purkis subs Webber, Roy, Murphy, Smith, Plum, Wightman, McLaughlin

  • FULL TIME
    Ballymena United   2 - 0 Glentoran
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Ryan Waide

    Loughgall

    90+1'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Paul McElroy

    Portadown

    90+1'
  • Sean O'Neill

    Ballymena United

    90'
  •  Yellow Card

    Joshua Kelly

    Glentoran

    87'
  • GOAL

    Ryan Waide

    Loughgall

    84'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Terry Devlin

    Players

    78'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Aaron Wightman

    Glentoran

    78'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Kym Nelson

    Ballymena United

    71'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Jack Henderson

    Portadown

    71'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Ruaidhrí Donnelly

    Cliftonville

    62'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Sean Murray

    Players

    62'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Alistair Roy

    Players

    62'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Hrvoje Plum

    Players

    62'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Conor Keeley

    Players

    58'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Ross Redman

    Portadown

    58'
  •  Yellow Card

    Sean Graham

    Larne

    45'
  •  Yellow Card

    Rhys Marshall

    Glenavon

    45'
  •  Yellow Card

    Seanan Clucas

    Carrick Rangers

    45'
  •  Yellow Card

    Kym Nelson

    Ballymena United

    35'
  •  Yellow Card

    Mikey Place

    Ballymena United

    29'
  • GOAL

    Sean Graham

    Larne

    24'

Ballymena United

  • Sean O'Neill
  • Kym Nelson 35' red substitution 71'
  • Scot Whiteside
  • Sean Graham 45' 24'
  • David McDaid
  • Joshua Kelly 87'
  • Ryan Waide red substitution 90+1' 84'
  • Steven McCullough
  • Jordan Gibson
  • Conor Keeley red substitution 58'
  • Mikey Place 29'

Substitutes

  • Jordan Williamson
  • Ross Redman green substitution 58'
  • Paul McElroy green substitution 90+1'
  • Kenneth Kane
  • Jack Henderson green substitution 71'
  • Andrew McGrory
  • Robert McVarnock

Glentoran

  • Aaron McCarey
  • Marcus Kane
  • Luke McCullough
  • Rhys Marshall 45'
  • Jay Donnelly
  • Ruaidhrí Donnelly red substitution 62'
  • Sean Murray red substitution 62'
  • Patrick McClean
  • Seanan Clucas 45'
  • Terry Devlin red substitution 78'
  • Daniel Gibson

Substitutes

  • Oliver Webber
  • Alistair Roy green substitution 62'
  • Harry Murphy
  • Malachy Smith
  • Hrvoje Plum green substitution 62'
  • Aaron Wightman green substitution 78'
  • Kirk McLaughlin
© Desmond Loughery/Pacemaker Press

Ballymena United

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Glentoran

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