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Glenavon manager Colin Malone felt his own players gifted the visitors the two goals that saw Distillery come from 2-1 down to grab all three points and move to the top of the table.

Johnny Cowan stabs the ball home for Glenavon's opener

Mark Cooling headed over in the 5th minute for the Whites before Neal Gawley’s 8th minute cross was almost deflected past Matthews by Buchanan’s block with the former Glenavon keeper gathering the ball on the line. Cooling had a decent chance for the visitors four minutes later but he rather miss hit his attempt at the back post after McCann’s cutback had set him up.

In the 19th minute a superb touch by skipper Gerard McMahon allowed him to control a pass from Walsh and thread the ball into Murray’s run with the teenager’s left foot shot just clearing the White’s bar.  It was the visitors, though, who took the lead in the 34th minute when Rice was forced to race to the edge of his area to deny McCann’s burst through the middle but the ball broke to Browne and he squared to leave Waterworth with a simple tap in.

Glenavon deservedly equalized in the 41st minute when Gavin McDonnell headed on McMahon’s free kick after a foul on Murray and Johnny Cowan got the finishing touch from close range. The Glenavon skipper threatened to double the lead a minute from the break when he flashed a free kick inches wide of the post.

Glenavon got the second half off to a bright start when Gawley crossed from the left and Murray sent a header over the bar. It was even closer seconds later when he and Kearney exchanged passes and Murray hit the post with fierce shot, an off-balance Conor Walsh blasting the rebound over from 12 yards.

Gawley scored a wonder goal in the 49th minute to give the hosts the lead when he picked up the ball from McDonnell’s pass and, with the help of a run by Hamlin that took two defenders away, he wove his way through and fired into the bottom corner from 25 yards.

Waterworth was guilty of a bad miss in the 62nd minute when McCann’s cross gave him a free header from 8 yards but he put it wide. The 66th minute saw excellent work by Kearney to hold off his marker and put a great ball into Hamlin but his touch just let the ball get away and Matthews gathered it.

Gary Browne equalized for the Whites in the 69th minute when he curled a free kick over the wall from 20 yards after a foul on Ward.

Conor Walsh beat three tackles in the 77th minute but his shot from the edge of the area flew over the bar before Browne’s long range shot drew a decent save from Rice.

Walsh dallied on the ball in the 84th minute and this gave first half substitute Julian Ward a chance with his fierce shot going out off the post and referee Best awarding a corner, with Rice presumably credited with a save.

Ward did get the winner in the 87th minute when Harper took a needless chance and lost the ball with a scramble in the box eventually seeing the ball go in off the post.