Glenavon made a bright start, with Paul McKnight orchestrating the play in midfield. He had the first effort of the afternoon when he sent a shot narrowly wide in the 6th minute. Two minutes later Topley was unlucky when his 30 yard left foot drive crashed off the post with the keeper well beaten. Glenavon appeals for a penalty were waved away in the 12th minute when McCloskey went down in the box under a challenge from the left back Gilmour.

At the other end skipper Stephen Hyndes had to be alert when McKernan looked to pick out Hamill with a cross to the near post. In the 34th minute McVeigh did well down the right when he got past the full back and pulled the ball back across the area but neither Evans nor McKnight could get a decisive touch to it.

Glenavon, with the wind behind them, had a number of long range efforts blocked and deflected for corners. From one of these just before half time McAlinden headed the ball back across the goal area and Wright struck a decent shot from 12 yards that was blocked on the line. The rebound looped over the head of McCloskey and his acrobatic overhead kick crashed off the crossbar.

In the second half the hosts launched the ball up field at every opportunity, making use of the wind at their backs. In the 51st minute one of these long clearances ran through for Mackey and he crashed the ball in off the underside of the bar but the referee had already blown for offside. A minute later should have seen McVeigh give Glenavon the lead when his good touch set up a shooting chance in the box but he blasted high over the bar, opting for power rather than placement. The play then swung to the other end and Hamill's close range shot was blocked on the line before being grabbed by McDonald.

Tommy Kincaid then introduced Walsh and Gawley and this seemed to liven up the visitors in the final third. Almost immediately McCloskey had a great chance to open the scoring from 8 yards when Reid flicked on Topley's corner but the lanky winger scooped his shot just over the bar. It was McCloskey the provider in the 69th minute when he crossed from the bye line with Gawley side footing the ball just wide from 10 yards. It was Gawley's quick thinking that lead to the goal as he took a throw in on the left that gave Topley the time and space to measure a cross to the back post where McCloskey, under pressure from Gilmour, met the ball with a stooping header that flew inside the post.

In the final minutes Topley's shot was almost turned into the goal by a deflection off a defender, Ballintine held Gawley's low shot at the second attempt and pushed out McKnight's free kick. The giant 6' 7" keeper needed to be at full stretch to turn Wright's injury time shot around the post.