United are left to count the cost after failing to take their chances

Ballymena United were left to rue two late chances against Champions Cliftonville during their defeat at the Showgrounds on Saturday.
Showgrounds 
Ballymenas  Aaron Stewart receives a red card from referee R Crangle after his tackle on Cliftonville's Ciaran Caldwell
Mandatory Credit - Picture by John McIlwaine/Presseye.comShowgrounds 
Ballymenas  Aaron Stewart receives a red card from referee R Crangle after his tackle on Cliftonville's Ciaran Caldwell
Mandatory Credit - Picture by John McIlwaine/Presseye.com
Showgrounds Ballymenas Aaron Stewart receives a red card from referee R Crangle after his tackle on Cliftonville's Ciaran Caldwell Mandatory Credit - Picture by John McIlwaine/Presseye.com

The Reds’ Joe Gormley had put the North Belfast side into the lead, but United missed two gilt-edged chances of punishing the current league champions.

To make matters worse, Ballymena then had Aaron Stewart dismissed after picking up two yellow cards.

Manager Glenn Ferguson said: “We can take many positives away from the game.

“Yes, we are disappointed with the result, especially when we had two glorious chances in the second half, but failed in both cases.”

Joe ‘The Goal’ Gormley celebrated his player of the month award by sending his side back to the top of the Premier League table.

The 22-year-old rattled in his 10th of the season – but it was the previous nine that won Gormley the BT Sport accolade for the month of August, nominated by the NI Football Writers.

Gormley struck after just three minutes, capitalising on Mark McCullagh’s hesitancy to lob the ball over a stranded Dwayne Nelson.

It was enough to halt an unexpected two-game losing streak – Tommy Breslin’s men having been beaten by Portadown and Coleraine in their previous fixtures.

BALLYMENA U: Nelson, Kane, Ruddy (Duffin 85), Taylor, McCullagh, Stewart, Thompson Gawley (Liggett 46), McClellan (Davidson 65) Jenkins, Teggart Subs: Taggart, Munster.

Cliftonville: Devlin, Caldwell, Seydak, Catney, Smyth, McGovern, Curran (Garrett 81), McNeill, Boyce (O’Carroll 56) Gormley (Doherty 87), Donnelly. Subs: Scannell, Murray.

Ref: R Crangle (Belfast).

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