Linfield 0
Ballymena United 3
League (NIFL Premiership)

Match Report

Ballymena United kicked off the 2026/27 season in style as a scintillating display led to a historic 3-0 victory over Linfield at The National Stadium at Windsor Park on Saturday.

With a strong pre-season under their belts and a plethora of options at Oran Kearney's disposal, United headed to Windsor in search of a first league win in twenty-two years and handed out five debuts. All five were to former Linfield representatives, including Scot Whiteside who made his second debut for the club.

It was the hosts who came out of the blocks the quickest, with David Walsh called into early debut action inside two minutes, making a fine one handed stop to deny Kyle McClean. However, with ten minutes gone, the Sky Blues scored against the run of play to get the season off to a flying start. Matthew Clarke's deep cross from the left found Charlie Allen at the back post and when his ball back into a crowded box was met by Chris McKee, he stabbed home at the second attempt to open his Ballymena account against his former side.

David Healy's men regained control after McKee's strike, but a resolute United rarely let their opponents have anything concrete by way of chances. A long range hit from Ethan McGee went well wide, while a McClean free kick flew over from twenty-five yards, before Daithi McCallion blocked a goal bound shot from Adam Frizzell.

When the visitors did have the ball, they looked more than comfortable with it and seven minutes prior to the break, a rare chance came United's way when Allen stood a cross up for Igor Rutkowski, who headed over at an awkward height. The final chance of the half came the Blues' way and a good one it was, but when Matthew Fitzpatrick got on the end of a cut back ball, he was wonderfully denied by the outstretched leg of Walsh, as a dogged Ballymena took a lead to the break.

If the first period had been a tale of taking the lead early and resolutely holding onto it, the second half produced a blistering display of brilliance from everyone in Ballymena burgundy. The first fourteen minutes of the half had been evenly matched, but on fifty-nine minutes the Sky Blues had their second when the sensational McKee haunted Linfield for a second time. If his first had been pure striker's instinct, his second was an early goal of the season contender. Rutkowski did well to hold up a long clearance and lay it off to Josh Archer, who in turn did the same to McKee and when he had the space to shoot from at least twenty-five yards, he rocketed a strike past Chris Johns to double his opening day tally.

Ten minutes later, the travelling support could scarcely believe what they were seeing when Success Edogun added a third to take the game away from Linfield. Fuad Sule, a thorn in the hosts side all day long, won the ball back just inside one half and moved it on to Edogun just inside the other and after the forward drove and drove into empty space, he pulled the trigger on the edge of the box and guided a finish into the near bottom corner to make it 3-0.

Clearly enjoying every second of their afternoon, it was the Braidmen who were looking for more. Archer fired narrowly over from distance, before more brilliance from McKee set Allen away, but the ex-Linfield man couldn't quite get the goal his performance deserved when he struck into the side netting. Minutes later Allen went close again, this time dragging a shot wide from the right of the box.

McKee made way five minutes from time, to a standing ovation from both sets of supporters, with his replacement a fellow debutant in Michael Leetch.

Willed on by an away end in understandably fine voice, United took their 3-0 lead to full time to cap off a remarkable opening day success, with every player, to a man, helping end Ballymena's 7,959 day wait for a league win at Windsor Park.

Match report written by Philip McPeake (www.ballymenaunitedfc.com)