BANNSIDERS STORM BACK FOR A DERBY POINT

Coleraine hit back from two goals down to salvage a point from the Boxing Day derby with Ballymena United.

The Bannsiders started the brighter of the two sides, coming close to finding a way through with around 20 minutes on the clock after Connor Murray did well to play Rhyss Campbell through but his effort came off the underside of the bar.

Jamie Glackin then threatened moments after that when he got past the defence only for his curling ball into the area to fall just the wrong side of the post.

However the deadlock was broken by the visitors just after the half-hour mark following an Alex Gawne cross from the right which Ethan Devine nodded beyond keeper Rory Brown.

Coleraine might have responded straightaway when Corey Smith sent the ball over from the left for Matthew Shevlin to head towards the far corner only for Aaron Jarvis to clear the danger off the line.

But United doubled their advantage right of the stroke of half-time in very similar circumstances to their first after Gawne's right-sided delivery was flicked home at the near post by Devine.

Coleraine pulled a goal back early in the second half through Cameron Stewart when he got his head to a Glackin corner to divert the ball past Sean O'Neill.

Then, midway through the second half, Dean Shiels' side grabbed the leveller after Shevlin stepped up to convert from the spot following handball in the area.

And Shevlin might have edged the home side in front not long after that when he found himself unmarked in the area but O'Neill did well to dive low to his right to keep his shot out.

Coleraine pressed hard for the winner in the closing moments and might have grabbed it only for Stewart and then Campbell to be denied by a superb double save from O'Neill.

Coleraine: Brown, Kane, Jarvis, Boyle, Stewart, Campbell, Shevlin, Murray, McClelland, Glackin, Smith subs Little, Spence, Harkin, McLaughlin, McGonigle, McClintock, Devine

Ballymena United: O’Neill, Lafferty, Rocks, Gawne, Jarvis, O’Donnell, McCurry, Brown, McCallion, Devine, Devlin subs Johnston, Moore, O’Mahony, Loughran, Hawe, Stewart, Hood