UNITED SWEEP TO COMFORTABLE SOLITUDE WIN
Ballymena United continued their return to form with a sweeping four-goal victory over Cliftonville at Solitude.
It took David Jeffrey's side just ten minutes to open the scoring when Shay McCartan beat Ronan Doherty to possession some 25 yards goal before sending a superbly struck low effort past Richard Brush into the bottom corner.
That was how it stayed until five minutes into the second when Paul McElroy made it 2-0 from the spot, sending Brush the wrong way after Garry Breen had conceded the penalty following a challenge on McCartan.
And McCartan was back on the scoresheet again five minutes after that, this time with a sweetly executed 30-yard free-kick which dipped over the wall and deceived Brush on its way into the net.
Not content with that, the Sky Blues pushed on to bag a fourth on 79 minutes. Leroy Millar exchanged passes with Ross Redman on the edge of the area before the former sent a low left-foot drive beyond Brush in off the right post.
The Reds might have bagged a consolation on a poor night for them but Michael McCrudden's shot from the right side of the area could only strike the far upright.
Cliftonville: Brush, McDermott, Breen, O'Reilly, C. Curran, R. Curran, McMenamin, McKee, Doherty, Gormley, Maguire subs Dunne, O'Connor, McCrudden, Foster, Bagnall, Casey, Scannell
Ballymena United: Williamson, Redman, Addis, Friel, McElroy, McCartan, Balmer, Hume, Millar, C. Kelly, J. Kelly subs Glendinning, T. Kane, Winchester, Harpur, Waide, Ervin, McCready
