Ballymena United beat Portadown 2-0 in the Premiership Regular Season on Saturday, a result that keeps the hosts in ninth place and leaves their visitors at the bottom of the table. The match finished with the scoreline reflecting a comfortable evening for the home side, who controlled the tempo without losing composure. To be fair, Portadown had their moments but never quite found the rhythm they needed.
First half tension came early when G. Thompson picked up a yellow card in the 26th minute, and the home side added another booking just before the break. Ballymena were busy on the ball, their 60 per cent possession showing they preferred to work the ball around rather than take risks. By then, the visitors had managed only three corners and were struggling to string passes together.
The breakthrough arrived in the 63rd minute when F. Thorndike found the back of the net, and the visitors responded with a substitution of their own. Flanagan came on for Portadown in the 67th minute, but the game had already shifted in Ballymena's favour. The home side kept their foot on the accelerator, and the second goal came 19 minutes later through I. Rutkowski in the 82nd minute.
We had tipped Ballymena to win this one, and the confidence we placed in them was justified by the way they managed the game. There was no panic after the first goal, just a steady control that let the visitors chase shadows. And here's the thing — Portadown had three shots on target to Ballymena's two, yet only one of their attempts tested the goalkeeper.
The statistics tell a straightforward story. Ballymena registered 130 attacks against 107 for the visitors, while shots off target were level at three apiece. The home side earned 12 free kicks compared to 14 for Portadown, but it was the quality of possession that made the difference. Offsides were minimal on both sides, just one and two respectively.
Ballymena remain ninth with nine points from eight games, their record of two wins, three draws and three losses showing consistency without brilliance. Portadown are twelfth after nine matches with just one point from a draw, and the gap to safety is growing. The hosts have one foot in the next phase of the season if they keep this up, but there is work to do before the winter break.
