UNITED HIT FOUR PAST CARRICK
Ballymena United swept to a comfortable four-goal victory over Carrick Rangers at the Loughshore Hotel Arena.
David Jeffrey's side started brightly, forcing an early save out of Aaron Hogg when Paul McElroy flicked Ryan Waide's cross towards goal.
Waide had a go himself a few minutes later from outside the box but, again, Hogg made the save while Leroy Millar then curled an effort towards the top corner only for the ball to go just over.
The visitors came close again to opening the scoring late in the first half after McElroy got his head to a Shay McCartan free-kick, and the same player was thwarted again just after that by another Hogg save.
However, United did find a way through right on the stroke of half-time courtesy of Trai Hume's header after Ross Redman sent over a corner.
The visitors doubled their advantage on 64 minutes. Steven Gordon was adjudged to have brought down McElroy in the area and having previously been booked picked up his second yellow card as a result before McCartan confidently stepped up to convert from the spot.
It was 3-0 on 89 minutes with McCartan doubling his tally for the evening with a low shot into the bottom corner after cutting inside from the left.
Then, deep into stoppage time, substitute Joe McCready added a fourth with a rifled finish past Hogg.
Carrick Rangers: Hogg, Loughran, Chapman, Gawne, Smith, Gordon, Cherry, Glendinning, Gibson, Anderson, Ramsey subs Connor Friel (not used), Forsythe (replaced Chapman 63), Neale (replaced Gawne 70), Millar (not used), Jenkins (not used), McMullan (replaced Cherry 63), Cathair Friel (not used)
Ballymena United: Williamson, Redman, McElroy, McCartan, Waide, McGrory, Balmer, Hume, Ervin, Millar, Kelly subs Addis (not used), McKeown (not used), Harpur (not used), Knowles (not used), S. Graham (replaced Redman 84), K. Kane (replaced Waide 90+2), McCready (replaced McElroy 84)
Substitution 
Substitution 
