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Limavady United
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Ballymena United
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Appearances & Goals To Date
Starting Lineup
| Youngest Player: | Aidan Watson (20 years 11 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Darren Murphy (31 years 222 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 24 years 88 days |
| Domestic Players: | 9 (81.82 % of starting eleven) |
Matchday Squad
| Youngest Player: | Dominic Melly (19 years 42 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Darren Murphy (31 years 222 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 24 years 143 days |
| Domestic Players: | 12 (85.71 % of matchday squad) |
BALLYMENA United's hopes of qualification for the knockout stages suffered a further blow when they lost 2-1 at Limavady United tonight.
The Sky Blues again paid the penalty for spurning chances as, for the second game in succession, they allowed a half-time lead to slip away in the second period.
Lee Patrick's clever chip underpinned Ballymena's superiority at the break but a wonder goal from Stephen Parkhouse and a winner from ex-United striker Vincent Sweeney left United at the foot of their section.
"I'm still not sure how we lost that game," reflected manager Tommy Wright afterwards.
"If anyone looks at it objectively they will say we were the better side but once again we didn't take our chances and were punished for it."
Ballymena started brightly, forcing a succession of corners, from one of which Gary Haveron's header was well saved at the base of the post by Michael Doherty.
Ballymena handed midfielder Darren Murphy a debut and it was from a typically robust challenge that he won possession on the left before producing an excellent cross which Paul Brown headed over.
But the breakthrough eventually did come on 26 minutes from a neatly worked moved which saw full-back Aaron Callaghan play a pass inside to Lee Patrick and the midfielder spotted Doherty off his line and produced a beautifully measured chip over the stranded keeper.
Limavady were back on level terms within four minutes of the restart, however, when Gordon Simms' poor defensive header fell to Stephen Parkhouse and the striker chested the ball down before firing an unstoppable volley past Paul Murphy.
An action-packed 55th minute saw Sweeney's shot come back off a post while straight away at the other end, Kevin Kelbie rounded keeper Doherty before ending up on the ground but rather than award a penalty, referee Robert Penney instead booked the Scottish striker for diving.
Kelbie then missed a glorious opportunity when he latched on to strike partner Paul Brown's knock-down but with the goal at his mercy, he completely fluffed his shot wide.
And that miss proved very costly on 70 minutes when Sweeney returned to haunt his old club. Left-back Martin Cutmore played a ball into the channel which Murphy called to collect.
But while United's defenders stopped, the alert Sweeney nipped in and his first touch took him around Murphy before screwing home a left-footed shot from an acute angle.
Match report written by Official Ballymena United website