Back-to-back away wins for United

The previous week's victory at Portadown was United's first on their travels since last October and they followed it up with another three-point haul from Mid-Ulster on Friday night.

While the 3-1 success at Shamrock Park was the more eye-catching, this victory at Mourneview Park was arguably the more encouraging, given how Ballymena had to dig extremely deep in the face of some sustained Glenavon pressure for an equaliser, before hitting a killer second goal in a classic counter-attack late on.

"When you come to places like Glenavon, against what you know at times will be a fairly physical onslaught, you do one of two things – you stand up to it or you capitulate," manager Roy Walker told Times Sport.

"We came away to the team leading the league with three wins out of three and stood up, showed great courage. How many times could you say that about a Ballymena performance in recent times?

"I actually thought our passing was poor, particularly in the final third of the pitch where I genuinely thought we could have added to our tally.

"We survived a few moments of ball in the box, headers over the bar but Dwayne never had too many scurrying saves to make across his goal.

"We got our goals at good times in both halves – one at the start of the first and one at the end of the second.

"The first goal was opportunistic – Cutchy was alert. The second goal came straight off the training ground with Gibbo making near post run to get on the end of it. It's nice when your two principal strikers get a goal each.

"The two centre-halves were particularly relevant in that when Glenavon fired the ball down our throats I could see Albert and more particularly Denver heading it away and the two of them were the basis of our victory," added Roy.

United were given the best possible start with a goal inside eight minutes. Gavin Taggart's attempted drive from 25 yards spooned into the air off Stuart King and McCutcheon was quickest to react, skilfully looping a header over keeper Andrew Plummer and into the net.

It was McCutcheon's second goal in successive games, both of them headers – hardly what was expected from the diminutive frontman!

Unlike the previous week, there was no quick-fire second, although Denver Gage was annoyed to head a Nathan Hanley corner wide when well placed.

Gage's aerial prowess was very much in evident at the end of the pitch to which he would be more accustomed as he and Watson dealt with an onslaught of long balls played forward by the Lurgan side but the Ballymena defence stood firm.

And that solid bedrock enabled United to hit an excellent second on the counter-attack with just three minutes left.

Gavin Taggart released Michael Smith down the right and after playing a one-two with Mark Surgenor, Smith cut inside his opponent and fired a low cross which was turned in from close-range by Richard Gibson, his first goal for the club.

Glenavon: Plummer, Shannon, Neill (sub Costello 76), Magee, McDonagh, Harpur (sub Harper 71), Walsh, King, Miskimmin, Molloy. Subs (not used): Johnston, Lavery, Haughey.

Ballymena United: Nelson, Surgenor, Watson, Gage, Stewart, Smith, Taggart, Carson (sub Gibson 46), Hanley (sub Haveron 62), McDowell (sub Colligan 67), McCutcheon. Subs (not used): Murray, Young.

Referee: David Malcolm (Bangor).