Match Centre

Premiership
Tuesday 20 August 2024 (kick off: 7.45 PM)

Venue: Ballymena Showgrounds

Attendance: 1298

Referee: Shane Andrews

Ballymena United home-team
0 FT 1
away-team Crusaders
  •   Kieran Offord 5'
football
©Pacemaker Press

CRUES EDGE IT AT THE SHOWGROUNDS

An early goal proved enough for Crusaders to get the better of Ballymena United at The Showgrounds.

The visitors needed just five minutes to break the deadlock. Daniel Larmour unleashed Jacob Blaney down the right, and his angled cross into the area was directed home courtesy of a Kieran Offord diving header.

Crusaders almost doubled their tally not long after that when Jordan Stewart found space on the edge of the area but could only chip the ball onto the roof of the net.

Ballymena came closest to levelling just before half-time when, on the break, Johnny McMurray released Calvin McCurry but his curling effort towards the far post was turned behind by Jonny Tuffey.

Jim Ervin's side pressed hard for the equaliser in the second half but other than a Noah Stewart snatched effort midway through, and a stoppage time shot over the top the Sky Blues never really looked like challenging the Crusaders lead.

Indeed, Declan Caddell's side could have doubled their advantage with another Offord effort, but keeper Sean O'Neill did well to dive to his left to make the save.

Ballymena United: O’Neill, Nelson, Lafferty, Rocks, Kennedy, O’Donnell, McCurry, Loughran, Brown, McMurray, Carson subs Johnston, Gawne, Scott, Barr, Tennant, Stewart, Hood

Crusaders: Tuffey, Weir, Lowry, Jewitt-White, Stewart, Blaney, O’Rourke, Offord, Larmour, Franklin, Barr subs Kerr, Forsythe, Owens, Smith, Donnelly, Nixon, James

  • FULL TIME
    Ballymena United   0 - 1 Crusaders
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Kym Nelson

    Ballymena United

    89'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Daniel Lafferty

    Ballymena United

    89'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Alex Gawne

    Ballymena United

    89'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Andy Scott

    Ballymena United

    89'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Jordan Stewart

    Crusaders

    80'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Harry Franklin

    Crusaders

    80'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Jordan Owens

    Crusaders

    80'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Stewart Nixon

    Crusaders

    80'
  •  Yellow Card

    Daniel Larmour

    Crusaders

    76'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Jonathan McMurray

    Ballymena United

    67'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Noah Stewart

    Players

    67'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Harry Jewitt-White

    Crusaders

    63'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Jordan Forsythe

    Crusaders

    63'
  •  Yellow Card

    Jonathan McMurray

    Ballymena United

    47'
  •  Yellow Card

    Stephen O'Donnell

    Ballymena United

    31'
  •  Yellow Card

    Robbie Weir

    Crusaders

    19'
  • GOAL

    Kieran Offord

    Linfield

    5'

Ballymena United

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Crusaders

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