KENNEDY THE HAT-TRICK HERO AS SKY BLUES BAG FIRST WIN
Ben Kennedy hit a hat-trick as Ballymena United defeated Glenavon at The Showgrounds to earn their first points of the campaign.
United moved in front on 14 minutes after Andy Scott won the ball down the right and crossed for Kennedy to head home from inside the box.
And Kennedy doubled up for the Sky Blues just seven minutes after that when an attempted clearance landed perfectly for him to control the ball and slot his second of the evening past Gareth Deane.
Glenavon tried to get back into the game with two James Doona efforts in quick succession that both drifted narrowly wide.
But they did reduce the deficit just after the half-hour mark through Keith Ward's curling free-kick from just outside the area that struck the crossbar before dropping over the line.
However, the Sky Blues restored their two-goal cushion with Kennedy's third of the evening just four minutes into the second half when he made no mistake from close range after Jonathan McMurray nodded the ball down.
Ballymena pressed for a fourth goal as the game progressed with Calvin McCurry and Donal Rocks both coming close but Glenavon cut the lead back again when Ward was denied by Sam Johnston followed by a James Carroll effort just over the top.
Ballymena United: Johnston, Nelson, Lafferty, Rocks, Kennedy, Scott, O'Donnell, McCurry, Brown, McMurray, Carson subs Davidson, Gawne, Place, Loughran, McCallion, Stewart, Hood
Glenavon: Deane, Toure, O'Sullivan, Snoddy, McDaid, Doona, Lynch, Atherton, McKeown, Carroll, Ward subs Byrne, O'Connor, Doran, McGovern, Brady, Wilson, McGerrigan
Substitution 
Substitution 
