Carrick fight back to beat Crues as Glens and Sky Blues win

Carrick Rangers produced a stunning comeback from three goals down to beat Crusaders 4-3 in a dramatic Irish Premiership opener at Seaview.

Trailing 3-0 after 32 minutes, two goals from Danny Gibson and two controversial penalties from Jack Scott helped Stephen Baxter’s side claim a remarkable victory.

Glentoran started their campaign with a narrow 1-0 win against Portadown, courtesy of a fine strike from Danny Amos.

Ballymena also made a winning start to their league season as a Donal Rocks double that included a stunning second goal, eased them past Glenavon.

With the first attack of the game and only two minutes on the clock, Crusaders hit the front.

The ball was crossed into the Carrick box and former Ayr man Fraser Bryden was on hand to head into the right-hand corner of the goal.

On 21 minutes, Crusaders had a second through fellow debutant Adam Brooks.

A strong run from midfield by Elliot Dunlop saw him slide Brooks through on goal down the right-hand side and he rounded Nathan Gartside and slotted home from an acute angle.

The game looked over on 32 minutes when Finley Thorndike scored a third for the Crues.

Brooks turned provider as he unselfishly slid the ball to his right, allowing Thorndike the easiest of finishes into an empty net.

Five minutes later and it was game on as Dunlop brought down Aidan Steele, allowing Scott to score from the spot.

Soon after, Carrick had another as Joe Crowe’s cross bounced off the crossbar with the rebound nodded towards goal by Luke McCullough and poked home by Gibson from a yard out.

The second half began in similarly pulsating fashion as Carrick found an equaliser.

Former Crues man Paul Heatley slid the ball into the path of Gibson, who finished past Musa Dibaga.

Just as the game looked set to end all square, there was final drama in the 92nd minute.

Crowe crossed from the left with the ball striking the hand of Robbie Weir and the referee pointed to the spot again.

The Ports threatened first at Shamrock Park as, inside six minutes, James Teelan threaded a precise pass for Eamon Fyfe, whose first-time drive skidded across the face of goal.

The home side then wasted a golden chance on the counter-attack, with Fyfe leaning back and firing over with Josh Ukek and Ahu Obhkhan waiting for the cut-back.

The breakthrough then came against the run of play for the Glens, three minutes before the interval.

Jordan Jenkins clipped a teasing ball to the back post where Amos arrived unmarked to volley home from close range.

After the restart, Liam Burt thought he had doubled the Glens’ lead when his half-volley wrong-footed McCarey, only for an offside flag to intervene.

The Ports had similar frustration on 65 minutes, with Ukek tapping in Steven McCullough’s free-kick before again seeing the assistant’s flag raised.

In a fairly pedestrian first period, Ballymena came close to breaking the deadlock on the half-hour when Ben Kennedy collected a low cross from Calvin McCurry and, with his back to goal, tried an audacious back-heel which hit the side netting.

The visitors eventually drew first blood five minutes before the break when they worked the ball up the left-hand side and Matthew Clarke stood up a lovely cross to the back post where Rocks arrived to guide the ball past Jacob Carney.

Glenavon were enjoying a dominant spell when Rocks doubled his and Ballymena’s tally with a spectacular strike on 64 minutes.

There didn’t appear to be any obvious danger when Rocks picked up a loose ball from a knockdown 30 yards from goal, but he immediately let fly and his effort sailed over Carney and went into the net via the underside of the crossbar.