Fightback shows harder edge to United set-up

Goals galore mixed with defensive play that would have made schoolboys blush – and yet players, officials and supporters of both teams would ultimately have gone home feeling a bit deflated.

It really was the first half from hell for Ballymena.

DC’s first goal came from that age-old failing of a defender trying to shepherd a slow-running ball towards the dead-ball line for a goal kick, invariably leading to catastrophe.

Whether or not Davy Munster was fouled by Mark Miskimmin in the process is something of a moot point given referee Andrew Davey’s decision to wave play on and Ballymena were on the back foot within seven minutes.

When a side concedes three goals – particularly in a half – it’s easy to point accusing fingers at the goalkeeper and defensive unit but the fact that Celtic’s second and third goals were scord by midfield players should immedaitely indicate that someone within that department for United had failed to do their job in tracking back.

It looked like curtains at that stage but Allan Jenkins’ penalty in first half injury time gave them fresh hope and you got the impression, even at that stage, that many Ballymena fans genuinely believed that their team, with the right application, could get something out of the game after the break.

And so it proved, with Johnny Taylor thundering home a header and Jamie Davidson bundling home an equaliser.

As Ballymena piled on the pressure, the foul count from Donegal Celtic began to increase steadily.

A statistic of 28 free kicks awarded to Ballymena throughout the game suggests that DC were happy to interrupt the flow of play at every opportunity and the cycnical nature of some of the bookings they picked up – not for violent, vicious challenges but calculated, deliberate trips aimed at halting Ballymena attacks – won them few friends with the home support.

At the end of it all, you have to give credit to United for not crumbling when a second defeat inside four days – after a seven month unbeaten run – seemed inevitable.

Ballymena were genuinely unfortunate not to win the game but on another day, the three goals they scored would have comfortably done the job.

Two more points would have pushed Ballymena up to third in the table but there will inevitably be setbacks along the way.

Saturday’s comeback also stretched United’s unbeaten run at home – for so long the source of so many difficulties – to eight games in all competitions, stretching back to last season – a sign perhaps they have managed to overcome the fear that has appeared to grip players while playing in front of their own fans in recent seasons.

That in itself would be a welcome improvement and one which would hopefully help Ballymena stay in the upper reaches of the table.

* Follow Ballymena Times Sports Editor Stephen Alexander on Twitter (@Stephen_Bmena)