Ballymena United2–2Crusaders

Danny Lafferty was the man to finally take one of Ballymena United's countless second half chances as the Sky Blues left it late to draw 2-2 with Crusaders in an entertaining clash at the Showgrounds on Saturday afternoon.

Having gone a fortnight without any action following last week's international break, there was just the one change to Jim Ervin's starting line up from the one that began the win in Bangor, with Joel Thompson replacing Kym Nelson. After Dylan McGeouch joined the club just under a couple of weeks back, the former Celtic and Aberdeen man was able to take up a place on the bench.

It was Ballymena who began proceedings the strongest on a crisp day by Warden Street and within three minutes super play by Thompson saw him keep a ball alive and when his cross fell to Aaron Jarvis, his strike deflected just over. Shortly afterwards came an effort from Success Edogun, the first of many from the forward across the ninety minutes, but in what would become a familiar tale, he was denied by Jonny Tuffey.

Crusaders' first chance was a huge one on thirteen minutes when Elliot Dunlop sent a header, that looked in, wide by millimetres, but it proved the first of five chances in a nine minute spell as the game went back and forth basketball style. Adam Brooks had the ball in the net, only to be offside, while Ross Clarke and Patrick McEleney traded strikes, before a careless back pass from Ali Gould went straight to Brooks who had to score, but luckily he slid the ball wide.

With thirty-two minutes played, the deadlock was finally broken as Crusaders went ahead. When the away side were awarded a questionable free kick on the edge of the box, Clarke laid it off for Jarlath O'Rourke and the man with a habit of scoring at the Showgrounds did it again, guiding the ball into the bottom corner past a sky blue wall.

Edogun almost levelled straight away when he again tested Tuffey, with Jarvis' goal bound rebound then blocked by an away shirt, but just five minutes after falling behind, United were indeed level. As a long ball into the box was touched on by Edogun, it deflected into the path of Kian Corbally and the Irishman made it two in two in style as he delightfully caressed the ball into the bottom corner.

As the drama of the first half showed no signs of stopping, four minutes after pegging the Crues back, the hosts found themselves behind again. Not for the first time in the half, Ballymena got themselves into a right mess by losing possession in and around their own box and when Finley Thorndike thread through Brooks, his strike came back off the post, but Finley Thorndike was quickest to react to tap home and give the visitors a half time lead.

Ballymena started the second period as they'd ended the first by causing their own problems, only this time surviving as Brooks prodded wide by inches, but beyond that opening, the second half was largely dominated by the hosts who looked like they would do everything but score. Tuffey got down low to deny Jarvis, before David Toure fed Edogun at close range, only for Edogun to get his strike all wrong, before the same man tested Tuffey again with what had to have been at least his twelfth effort of the day.

On the stroke of the hour mark, the Braidmen could not believe they weren't level as more chances came and somehow went. Edogun was proving an absolute handful to deal with and when he put a ball across goal, Matty Clarke slid in at the back post to send it goalwards but see it blocked, before a combination of any or all of Corbally, Tuffey and Odhran McCart put the rebound onto the bar from a yard out.

McGeouch was introduced for his debut in a Ballymena shirt in place of Jarvis with just over twenty minutes to go, before David Taylor and Danny Lafferty swiftly followed, but as time ticked on, the home side just could not find a way through.

With three minutes left on the clock, after Tuffey had taken another round in the battle with Edogun and a strike from Corbally had been blocked by Taylor to rather sum up the day in front of goal, Ballymena finally unlocked the Crusaders door for a second time as Lafferty drew them level again. Toure's influence in the second half had been clear and when he rolled a ball over to Daniel Lafferty, the full back had the time and space to advance forward and pull the trigger from a good twenty-five yards, rifling the ball home.

In the three minutes left, plus another three of added time, United would've hoped to keep going and grab a winner, though another chance didn't really come, as they had to settle for a point in a pulsating game at the Showgrounds.