Ballymena United1–3Loughgall

A second half collapse saw Ballymena United return to losing ways with a 3-1 defeat to promoted Loughgall on a bitterly disappointing Saturday afternoon at the Showgrounds.

After the Sky Blues finally got themselves off the mark last weekend in Carrick, there was just the sole change for the visit of last season's Championship winners, as Ryan Waide dropped out for a returning Michael Place.

United would have hoped confidence levels had been lifted by last week's first win, but after Place struck just wide a couple of minutes in, it was the visitors who probably started the brighter. Six minutes in a free kick in prime position for Caolan Loughran could've given his former team a problem, but he blasted over, before Andrew Hoey did the same with a bending effort.

Following the opening fifteen minutes, there wasn't too much to talk about by way of chances, but the hosts were continuing to improve though, in the end, just lacked that final cross or pass to turn possession into good chances.

However, that changed eight minutes before the break when Ballymena opened the scoring for the afternoon. After Donal Rocks was on the end of a poor challenge around the middle of the half, Steven McCullough floated the resulting free kick in and it seemed to be met by captain Colin Coates, who nodded home his third of the season. His teammate Kym Nelson challenged for the header too and then also wheeled away in celebration, but the goal seems to be going into the ledger as the skipper's, as a decent enough half from the hosts saw them lead at the break.

Being critical, the Sky Blues were perhaps a little sloppy at the very end of the first half, but it ended up being a sign of things to come in what was quite frankly a second half performance that was surely nowhere near an acceptable level for those watching in the dugout.

The Braidmen were all over the place from the off, as Tiarnan Kelly went close twice, first firing over and then calling Sean O'Neill into a good save down to his bottom right from distance, before on fifty-four minutes the Villagers deservedly levelled. A short corner routine saw a cross partially cleared by Nelson, but when the ball was headed back in by Oran Brogan, United's defence stood static, allowing Nathaniel Ferris