STOPPAGE TIME DRAMA AT THE SHOWGROUNDS

Ballymena United and Linfield shared the spoils amid a dramatic ending to proceedings at the Showgrounds.

The visitors needed just 12 minutes to seize the advantage when Matthew Fitzpatrick pounced on a weak Duncan Idehen pass before controlling the ball and sliding it beyond keeper Sean O'Neill into the bottom right corner.

Linfield came within a whisker of doubling their lead a few minutes after that when another bout of poor defending presented Ben Hall with a free header in the area but he could only turn the ball against the crossbar.

Ballymena levelled on 25 minutes, however, after a counter attack saw Andy Scott do well down the left to lay the ball off for Kian Corbally with it then falling for Donal Rocks to beat Kyle McClean and slot beyond David Walsh.

And Jim Ervin's could have gone in front themselves after that following a Success Edogun cross to which Daniel Lafferty connected only to head over from point blank range.

Linfield came close to regaining the lead early in the second half only for Chris McKee's left-foot strike from inside the area to take a deflection as it drifted just past the far post.

At the other end the Sky Blues carved out a couple of half chances with a Lafferty set piece comfortably saved by Walsh while, a little after that, Edogun fired wide of the right post.

The Blues twice came close twice in quick succession with just under ten minutes remaining after the ball was scrambled just wide from a corner, before it came over again for Sam Roscoe to see an effort from six yards tipped onto the crossbar by O'Neill.

However, United edged into the lead a couple of minutes into added time when Patrick McEleney sent Walsh the wrong way from the spot, awarded after McKee had brought Scott down inside the area.

But there was a further twist 11 minutes into added time - caused largely by an earlier injury to Jonny McMurray - when skipper McClean lifted the ball over O'Neill from inside the area to snatch a point for the league leaders right at the death.

Ballymena United: O'Neill, Lafferty, Rocks, Scott, O'Donnell, Edogun, Loughran, McEleney, Corbally, Barr, Idehen subs Johnston, Jarvis, Moore, McMullan, McCurry, McMurray, Hawe

Linfield: Walsh, Roscoe, East, McClean, Hall, Ballantyne, McKee, Offord, McGee, Fitzpatrick, Orr subs Johns, Allen, Archer, Mulgrew, McCullough, Annett, Morrison