Cathair Friel with a shot from the left which is easily held by Tuffey, who tries to launch an instant counter attack, there's a bit more pace to this game now.

Conor McCloskey is brought on against his former side, replacing Andy Hall.

Mark Sykes has been kept quiet enough this evening but has still shown flashes of his brilliance. Is a January move in the offing?

Patterson puts Crusaders ahead from the spot.

Most of Ballymena's attacking success to far tonight has come on the counter-attack. James Knowles breaks on the right and tries to slide it into Adam Lecky, but Caolan marron just gets there first to stop the big striker getting onto it.

The ball is recycled and Faulkner again has space on the right, whipping a ball in to which Willie Faulkner gets a boot on, but it loops up and over.

Bizarre decision from Andrew Mitchell who has a free-kick from the right of the D, a good angle for a shot with his left peg. He opts to dink it in instead and it is cleared easily, the big striker has to shoot there surely.

The weather has got even worse. We are back underway at the Showground.

Have a look at this. How former Ballymena star Dessie Loughery found a new focus.

Steven McCullough sends a free-kick skidding towards Tuffey's near post. It takes a deflection and goes out for a corner.

Nothing comes from that and the half is drawn to a close.

Andy McGrory's goal separates that sides at the break.

Scoreless in Newry at the break, where it is also wet and windy. Both sides have had a couple of chances mind you, but two sides who are perhaps short of confidence at present can't find an opener.

I bet three points against the league leaders would really cap off this milestone, eh?

Good counter-attack from Ballymena as Friel slips a lovely ball through to Adam Lecky on the left channel. Rather than opting to hit it with his left foot first time he tries to check inside James Singleton, who reads it well and gets a boot in to clear the danger.

After a decent start things have started to stagnate a bit for Glenavon. Daniels, Sykes and co have been pretty well marshalled so far as we hit the half hour mark.

They make their way into the Ballymena box and the ball drops for Stephen Murray whose shot on the turn is deflected behind for a corner.

So far, these are the only fireworks between the two sides

Image source, BBC Sport NI

This would be exceptional Irish League Behaviour if it was given the go-ahead. However the pitch is probably under enough stress from the rain tonight as it is.

Jonny Addis, ably assisted by the greasy pitch, slides into what we will describe as an 'industrial' challenge in which Josh Daniels is brought down.

Andy Hall tries his luck from the free-kick even though it is comfortably 35 yards out, Ross Glendinning catches it with little fuss.

Ballymena continue to come forward as Adam Lecky combines with Willie Faulkner, who nearly gets a shot away but the ball is turned behind by the battling Rhys Marshall

Since David Jeffrey took over you have to say there has rarely been a dull game in which Ballymena have been involved.

It might be an idea for Glenavon to put Ross Glendinning under some aerial pressure given the conditions. That's exactly what James Singleton tries with an early cross from the left but Glendinning is equal to it, plucking it out of the air with no bother.

Andy McGrory puts the Sky Blues ahead against his former club.