When Gareth Walsh's splendid goal gave Glenavon a 13th minute lead there was no inkling of the disaster that would follow. The home side had almost opened the scoring in the first minute when McDonagh directed a header from Topley's free kick back across goal, only missing by a small margin. Just before he scored Walsh had drawn a good save from Wilton when Batey had flicked on Devine's cross and Walsh's low shot sent the keeper low to his right.

The Town keeper was well beaten by Walsh's right foot finish from a difficult angle after Topley broke through the middle and played Walsh in. He exchanged passes with Candlish on the edge of the 'D' and, though he was forced wide by the weight of the return pass, he finished well with a powerful shot past Wilton.

Glenavon at this stage were dominating the game and everything was looking good. In the 20th minute Candlish showed a good touch on the left and put a shot across goal that went just wide of the far post. Two minutes later Banbridge's diminutive winger Simon O'Hare delivered a warning to the home defence when he sent over a dangerous low cross that McDonagh had to divert for a corner. Irwin then scooped the ball over the bar from 6 yards after Evans chipped the ball back into the Glenavon area from a weak clearing header.

In the 34th minute O'Hare was allowed to get another low cross in to the near post where Kerr's good touch gave him the chance to control the ball and drive his close range shot past McDonald to equalise for the visitors. Glenavon's defence then seemed to fall apart as, twice in a minute, they gifted possession to Banbridge just outside their own area and, first Kerr with a neat lob and then McPherson with a fine low shot into the bottom corner, saw a shell-shocked home team going 1-3 down inside three minutes. Candlish's corner in first half stoppage time was headed goal wards and cleared off the line but at half time the score line remained 3-1 to the visitors.

The first chance of the second half fell to Irwin who saw his cross-shot amazingly run across the 6 yard area between McDonald and the goal line and out for a goal kick. Murray then saw Wilton push his shot away for a corner and, after Topley's free kick hit the wall he struck the rebound well only for Wilton to gather it at the second attempt.

Any faint remaining hopes of a Glenavon comeback were effectively snuffed out by O'Hare's superb curling free kick into the top corner in the 55th minute. Five minutes later Quinn's glancing header from a corner made it five and Irwin ran from his own half in the 72nd minute and took the ball round the out rushing McDonald before side footing it into the unguarded net.

Town substitute Paul Sneddon had a couple of half chances to add further to Glenavon's misery and the home side really knew it was not their day when Wilton pulled off two good saves to deny Gawley's header and McShane's shot. He even got lucky when Murray's deflected shot looped over him and bounced off the post onto the line but he was able to get his hands on it, with McVeigh stabbing it into the net but his effort being disallowed.