Peter Hutton's first goal of the season kept Cliftonville's title ambitions on track as the Reds came from behind at the Ballymena Showgrounds to grab a share of the spoils.
We’re sorry. This video is unavailable from your location.
Ballymena United 1 - 1 Cliftonville
The former Derry City man rose highest just before the break to head home from close range, just as Gary McCutcheon had done much earlier in the half for Ballymena United.
Both teams showed changes after midweek defeats on their travels, with the visitors bringing in Liam Fleming and Barry Johnston for Barry Holland and Ryan Catney, while knee-injury victim Rory Carson dropped out of the Sky Blues' line-up with Eamonn Murray coming in.
There was early controversy as United striker Richard Gibson was lucky to escape with just a yellow card after a late lunge on Ciaran Donaghy in the third minute and that set the tone for a feisty affair.
Referee Colin Burns' next action though was to jot down McCutcheon's name after the Scottish striker bagged his fourth goal of the campaign with a typically opportunistic piece of finishing in the ninth minute.
John Connolly had superbly touched Eamonn Murray's curling shot behind for a corner but Nathan Hanley's centre was met by the head of Denver Gage and in popped McCutcheon to nod home.
George McMullan was next to go into the referee's book for a late tackle on Mark Surgenor, before John Connolly and Peter Hutton had to be sharp to pounce at the feet of Hanley who had latched onto a long ball.
The Reds were giving as good as they got though and Hanley made a timely intervention of his own at the other end to superbly block Ronan Scannell's 20th minute effort.
Scannell then turned saviour in front of his own goal to throw himself in front of Murray's shot and was then involved in the opposite box again as the Reds battered the United rearguard.
Scannell was one of half a dozen players involved as they knocked at the door and when the ball was cleared to the arc of the area it was met brilliantly on the volley by Kieran O'Connor only to be denied by a wonderful tip over by Dwayne Nelson in the United goal.
The visitors got the goal their pressure deserved a minute before the break and it was almost a carbon copy of the opener.
George McMullan's corner tally was nearing double figures but this one proved fruitful as it was met at the back post by Ciaran Donaghy and met gleefully and powerfully by the head of Peter Hutton.
Stephen Garrett should have made it 2-1 for the visitors shortly after the restart when he latched onto Chris Scannell's threaded pass but although he evaded the grasping hands of Nelson, he was pushed wide and couldn't hit the empty target.
Barry Johnston thumped a wonderfully struck effort off the woodwork in the 65th minute before there was a narrow escape at the other end when Murray's cutback was collected by McCutcheon and his cross-shot rolled agonisingly across goal where it found the stretching Michael Smith who could only find the side-netting.
The home side's best move of the second period almost netted a winner when bustling centre-back showed poise and grace to find McCutcheon with a slide-rule pass, he laid it off to Hanley who in turn fed Murray and his searching effort was deflected just wide of the target.
Ballymena United: Nelson, Smith, Stewart, Gage, Watson, Surgenor (McDowell 74), Hanley, Taggart, McCutcheon, Gibson, Murray. Subs not used: Haveron, Young, Dowie, Maybin.
Cliftonville: Connolly, Fleming, R. Scannell, Hutton, Donaghy, O'Connor, McMullan (Burns 87), Johnston, C. Scannell, Garrett (Stuart 76), Caldwell. Subs not used: Seydak, Jones, McVeigh.
Referee: Colin Burns (Comber)
© UTV News