Glentoran piled the pressue on Carling premiership leaders Crusaders with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Ballymena United at the Oval.
We’re sorry. This video is unavailable from your location.
Glentoran 3 - 0 Ballymena United
The east Belfast men, who it has been reported are on the verge of securing the services of the league's leading goalscorer Rory Patterson from Coleraine, were in terrific form, particularly up front with Keith Gillespie, Matty Burrows and Gary Hamilton all finding the net.
United on the other hand were terrible and, having garnered a good record against the Glens at the Oval, were a pale shadow of sides that had been there and taken points away in the past.
Paul Leeman and Daryl Fordyce came close in the opening stages before Hamilton volloyed over a gillespie cross.
But it didn't take too long for the first goal to arrive as on 17 minutes gillespie took a touch on the edge of the area before unleashing a drive into the bottom corner of the goal to open the scoring.
Two minutes later Hamilton hit the post from a McCabe cross and Burrows couldn't wrap his foot around the ball from the rebound as the Glens laid siege.
On the half hour Lee Colligan and Sean O'neill came to the rescue for the Braidmen as they blocked headers from Gillespie and Colin Nixon respectively but two minutes later the advantage was doubled.
Johnny Black's corner found Burrows completely unmarked and he headed in unhindered to score his fourth goal in two games having registered a cup hat-trick last week.
And the game was over as a contest five minutes from the break when from another Black corner, Hamilton sent an overhead kick past a beleagured O'Neill from inside the six yard box.
United improved a little after the break but they failed to have a single shot on target while O'neill denied Gillespie and Dean Fitzgerald with good saves in a second half where the Glens were more than happy to take the three they had been given.
GLENTORAN: James Taylor 7, Nixon 7, Leeman 7, Ward 7 (Johnny Taylor 76, 6), Black 7, Gillespie 7 (Waterworth 84, 5), McCabe 7, Fitzgerald 7, Fordyce 7 (Clarke 75, 6), Burrows 7, Hamilton 7. Subs: Morris, Halliday, Waterworth.
BALLYMENA UNITED: O'Neill 6, Smith 4, Albert Watson 4 (Stewart 34, Ramsey 4, Aidan Watson 4 (Haveron 63, 4), Carson 4, Lockhart 4 (McConnell 46, 4), Anderson 4, Cushley 4, Kelbie 4. Subs: McNeill, Surgenor.
REFEREE: Adrian McCourt (Bangor) 6
© UTV News