HEATLEY AND LOWRY ON TARGET FOR CRUES
Crusaders bounced back from Monday night's derby defeat to secure a two-goal victory over Glenavon at Seaview.
The Crues might have moved in front inside the opening ten minutes after Ross Clarke found Paul Heatley at the back post but keeper Rory Brown did well to make the save at close range.
Glenavon came close to seizing the advantage themselves soon after but Jackson Nesbitt could only drag his effort just wide with only Jonny Tuffey to beat before play switched down the other end for Brown to push a Robbie Weir shot from the edge of the area behind.
The Crues continued to look the more likely to find a way through with Billy Joe Burns and Philip Lowry both going close before, a minute from the break, Heatley finally opened the scoring with a lob over Brown in the six yard box after meeting a cross from the right.
Stephen Baxter's side then doubled their lead just before the hour after the visiting defence failed to deal with a cross allowing Lowry to collect and turn the ball home from close range.
And it got worse for Glenavon later in the half when keeper Brown was dismissed for handling the ball outside his area to stop a Danny Wallace back header from going into his own net.
Crusaders: Tuffey, Burns, Weir, Lowry, Lecky, O’Rourke, Larmour, Smith, Heatley, Clarke, Anderson subs Kerr, Kennedy, Teelan, Kennedy, Owens, McKeown, James
Glenavon: Brown, Kerr, Birney, Snoddy, Malone, Campbell, Quinn, Baird, Wallace, Garrett, Nesbitt subs Rogers, Mooney, Teggart, Prendergast, Purvis, Henderson
