All photographs on this page are © 2007 by Drew McWilliams, permission granted to glenavonfc.com

After Paul Walsh was forced off after only four minutes with a dislocated shoulder and having taken the lead in the 5th minute with a penalty from David Bracken, Glenavon then had Conor Walsh sent off after just 17 minutes when he received his second yellow card within a four minute period for an off-the-ball incident with Stuart Clanachan. Clanachan was fortunate to have escaped with just a yellow card when appearing to kick out at Neal Gawley after he had been fouled by the young winger. Curiously, it looked as though it was fourth official Alan Black who advised the Welsh referee Lee Evans on what action he should take.

David Hawthorne begins to celebrate his goal before the ball has even settled in the net behind Davy O'Hare.

That incident turned into a double whammy for the home side as Gaston scored from the resulting free kick, taken from the right wing by Cassidy, Walsh having been his assigned marker and Glenavon not having been able to reorganize the marking at the set piece.

Things looked bleak for the home side when Boyce scored to put Coleraine ahead with a well-struck 25 yard shot in the 31st minute and on 35 minutes David Bracken was unbelievably sent off for only the second time in his career, apparently for making a gesture at the crowd, when the Welsh referee's assistant called him over after Bracken had taken a knock moments earlier in a challenge with a Coleraine defender.

Tommy McCallion gets a hold of Glenavon captain Gerard McMahon

Amazingly, the nine men were level three minutes before the interval when Barry Meehan, drafted in at left back for Ross Black, missing with a knee injury, beat two men and chipped over a cross to the back post which Davy Hawthorne nodded in to restore parity.

Things got even better for Glenavon when Gavin McDonnell headed back Gawley's long throw for Hawthorne to stroke left footed past O'Hare who had made a brilliant save just two minutes into the second half when he tipped McMahon's shot over the bar. O'Hare took a knock during the following corner when he and Marty Hunter collided and O'Hare's movement may have been hampered as Hawthorne's low shot across him hit the bottom corner of the net. O'Hare tried to struggle on but he was forced off in the 59th minute, with goal scorer Boyce donning the keeper's jersey.

A brilliant turn and low shot by Gawley was the stand-in keeper's first and only real test, one which he just about managed to pass despite fumbling the ball around the post for a corner, though McDonnell did go mighty close with a powerful 20 yard drive that whistled just wide of the post in the final minute of normal time.

Davy Patton had spurned a great chance to pull the Bannsiders level in the 75th minute when he managed to scoop Carson's low cross over the bar from 8 yards. Rice made good saves to deny Gaston's back post header and two shots from Tommy McCallion before Davy Patton finally got the equaliser against an exhausted Glenavon side when he slotted home a left foot shot from the edge of the box.