United's cup progress is Crystal clear!

By that stage of Ballymena United's Co-operative Insurance Cup trip to Banbridge Town, the tie was all but over, with the Sky Blues racing into a three goal lead.

United could had doubled that margin by half-time alone and although the chances kept coming in the second half, the senior side could not add to their tally.

"I've got to the stage where I don't like half-time whistles," smiled United boss Roy Walker.

"I think they're an impediment at times in games when we are completely on top.

"But we would have taken that outcome – it was mission accomplished.

"The start killed the game a wee bit, which was great for our standpoint.

Rory Carson's strike for the first was fantastic, the second goal Eamonn Murray's shot took a we deflection and for the third, Eamonn kept us on the ball and Archie finished it well.

"I can think of four great crosses across the face of goal from the right and two from the left, the keeper made a wonder save from Albert Watson's header and we had two headers from corners kicked off the line and Denver Gage headed one past the post.

"For the first 20 minutes of the second half we lost our way a wee bit and although we came again, it wasn't just as fluent as we would have liked, but that might be over-critical.

"If you had given me a clean sheet and a goal or two before we came down I would have said thanks," added Roy.

On a sodden wet pitch and with the Championship side having home advantage, all the potential hallmarks of a cup upset were lingering at the back of United fans' minds.

As it was, by the time some travelling fans filtered through the Crystal Park turnstiles, they were informed by their mates that United were two goals up inside the opening five minutes!

They'll have been particularly annoyed at missing Rory Carson's opener, with less than three minutes on the clock.

Walker's description of the midfielder as being like Frank Lampard in last week's Times Sport drew plenty of debate from fans during the week, with some suggesting Carson's flame-coloured hair and all-action style puts him more in the Paul Scholes mode. Whatever your view, the Manchester United star would certainly have been delighted with a strike as good as Carson's, a 25-yard thunderbolt from a Gary McCutcheon lay-off which left keeper Gareth Buchanan grasping at thin air.

Less than two minutes later the lead was doubled, this time in more fortuitous fashion, as Eamonn Murry cut in from the right wing and fired a left-foot shot which deflected off a defender to take it out of Buchanan's reach.

And United added a third with less than 20 minutes on the clock. Murray was again involved, this time crossing from the right and as McCutcheon attempted to make space for a shot, the ball fell kindly into the path of left-back Aaron Stewart who drilled a low shot home from just inside the penalty area – an assured finish from a player not normally noted for his goalscoring prowess.

Ballymena continued to dominate matters but a combination of wasteful finishing and dogged Banbridge defending meant United didn't add to their total, while Town were reduced to the 10 men in the final minute when defender Ricky Copeland was sent off a second bookable offence.

Banbridge Town: Buchanan, Hall, Stewart, Copeland, King, McParland, Malone, McCartan (sub Walsh 46), McArdle, Campbell (sub Grant 46), Teggart. Sub (not used): McConnell.

Ballymena United: Nelson, Smith, Gage, Watson, Stewart, Murray (sub McDowell 46), Haveron, Carson (sub Young 80), Hanley (sub Colligan 55), Surgenor, McCutcheon. Subs (not used): Gibson, Dowie.

Referee: Paddy McFadden (Londonderry).