Linfield2–0Ballymena United

A valiant display from ten man Ballymena United ultimately wasn't enough to take anything from The National Football Stadium at Windsor Park as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Linfield on Saturday afternoon.

After advancing in the BetMcLean Cup during the week against Ards with a changed side, Jim Ervin made two changes to the team that played last time out in the league against Portadown, as Oisin Devlin started over a suspended Donal Rocks and Calvin McCurry replaced Joe Moore.

Ballymena's recent record against the Blues makes for fairly bleak reading, their record at Windsor Park even tougher to cast an eye over, but it hasn't been for the want of trying and today was no different. The first half was an extremely even affair and whilst there weren't many chances at either end, the away side were putting together some very tidy stuff, after navigating a dodgy opening five minutes. A little slow out of the blocks, Joel Cooper caught Calvin McCurry sleeping on the edge of his own box to dispossess him and get a shot away, but it was well saved by Sean O'Neill.

From there, the Sky Blues got themselves together and embarked on a very bright spell. From a quick free kick, Sean Brown crossed for Oisin Devlin, who saw an acrobatic effort saved by David Walsh, before a huge chance looked to be on its way when Andy Scott was sent through on goal from the halfway line, but Scot Whiteside was able to catch up with him to prevent a shot.

By the half hour mark, the away side's spell had quietened down a little as Linfield got back some level of control, but an extremely well drilled United shape was giving very little away in the final fifteen minutes of the half. A curling Jamie Mulgrew effort was easy work for O'Neill, while Matthew Fitzpatrick glanced a header well wide. In between those chances, Linfield had a big appeal for a penalty turned down when the ball looked to have struck an outstretched Devlin arm, but for once United got a bit of fortunate in the decision going their way. In the last play of the half there was a slight moment of worry when a header from the eighteen yard line via Matthew Orr almost went in when it was spilled over the crossbar by O'Neill, but all in all it was a fine first half from Ballymena.

The second half was a slow burner and whilst the Braidmen saw less of the ball early on than they had in the first period, still Linfield had little to go at. On fifty-four minutes came an important moment for down the line when Stephen O'Donnell was booked, after a sizeable delay, for what seemed for an innocuous foul.

With sixty-two minutes gone and United still more than happy with how things were ticking along, Linfield looked almost certain to break the deadlock when Ethan McGee's delightful chipped ball found Charlie Allen arriving at the back post, but he fired wide on the slide at close range.

Fourteen minutes after O'Donnell's booking, the well-oiled United machine had a spanner thrown into its works when the centre half, probably the best player on the pitch to this point, saw red for a second yellow. Whilst the incident to send O'Donnell off was hard to argue against as he blatantly stopped a Linfield attack, Ballymena were left more than frustrated that a foul hadn't been given seconds earlier for a trip on O'Donnell, but it mattered not as he was sent off. It forced a rearranging as United set up to first and foremost play for a point, with Colin Coates introduced for Scott to add to numbers at the back.

Predictably, the final twenty minutes was almost all the hosts as the league leaders looked to benefit from the extra man. Fitzpatrick saw a header batted away by O'Neill, before a backheel from Whiteside in amongst a crowded box forced United's captain into another save, but after Josh Carson had brilliantly put his body on the line three times in a few seconds to deny Linfield, they finally found a way through with twelve to go. Cross after cross was being dealt with, but in the end one too many came in as Kirk Millar's ball found sub Rhys Annett who headed home the opener.

Ballymena responded well to having their resistance broken and just two minutes after falling behind they themselves had a huge call for a penalty waved away by Declan Hassan, when a cross from Devlin struck an arm in the box. Joe Moore was brought on as the Sky Blues looked to level late on, but for all their decent play they'd lacked threat all day in the final third and in five minutes of added time David Healy's side secured the points with a second. A long ball forward by Chris Shields was flicked on into the path of Kirk Millar who raced clear on his own, as he then finished past O'Neill for 2-0.

An impressive effort from Ballymena who will be bitterly disappointed not to take anything from a game in which not much went for them at all, but it is now four straight league defeats and four without a goal.