Ballymena United 0 Glentoran 3: Crisis club Glentoran bounced back from their Irish Cup embarrassment and the subsequent exit of boss Scott Young with a comfortable 3-0 win at Ballymena United last night.

Young walked away from the east Belfast club on Sunday morning after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Amateur League side Newington.

Under the stewardship of caretaker manager — and the most decorated boss ever to grace the Irish League — Roy Coyle, battered pride was a partly restored.

Goals from Colin Nixon, Andy Waterworth and a Sean Ward screamer put the Sky Blues to the sword at the Showgrounds but the Glenmen won't be getting too excited.

They have been treated to many false dawns already this season and one, admittedly morale-boosting, victory won't paper over the cracks.

“We asked for a response after a miserable situation on Saturday,” said Coyle.

“ When I first took over at Glentoran we lost to Ballymena so they have been a bit of a bogey team but thankfully we got the result we all needed this time.

“To a man they want it known that win was for Scott Young.

“Unfortunately it was one game too late.

“After Saturday there is only one way we could have gone and that is up.

“Make no mistake about it though — I'm only here until a new manager is found.

“I never thought I'd find myself in the dug-out again but this is very much temporary.

“Consistency will be the acid test for us now because we have let our fans down many times already this season.

“We picked up wins then our form nosedived and that must stop.”

The Oval men, having earlier struck the outside of a post thanks to Waterworth, took the lead eight minutes before the break when skipper Nixon settled obvious nerves.

Stephen Carson, who forced a fine tip over the crossbar by Ballymena keeper Dwayne Nelson a minute earlier, delivered an inch-perfect corner for the ever-reliable Nixon to plant a towering header into the bottom corner.

It was the full-back's seventh strike of what has been a campaign to forget but few would have been met with such muted acclaim.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given their current predicament, only a small band of followers made the trek to the Braid.

To their credit they gave the bruised egos on show tremendous support but with so few coming through the turnstiles to watch one of the biggest clubs in the country, it shows how much doom and gloom currently exists around the Glens set-up.

After the break, Ballymena flirted with an equaliser and had they found it the dark clouds would, no doubt, have been cast over the visitors by a lack of a killer instinct up front.

But stubborn resistance from the Glens ensured it was a comfortable night.

Waterworth doubled their lead on 75 minutes after Ward crossed for David Howland and the midfielder put the ball on a plate for the former Hamilton hitman to fire past Nelson.

Ward completed the scoring nine minutes from time with a stunning individual effort. The defender usually manages to produce one magical finish a year and this was perhaps his best.

After dancing down the right he cut inside two defenders and curled a fierce strike across goal into the far corner.

“I was happy to score but happy isn't a word we can use at the minute,” said Ward.

“We can't ever make up for what happened on Saturday.

“We let everyone down and it is going to take a long time before we can hold our heads high again.

“We did want to win for the fans, and particularly Scott, but it is too late.

“There is no point in us talking about kicking on from here — every time we've done that it has blown up in our faces.

“We need unity back in the squad and together we can move forward.”

Ballymena boss Glenn Ferguson believed the scoreline failed to paint the picture of the match.

“People will look at that and think it was a drubbing but it wasn't,” he said.

“At 1-0 we were very much in the game but a few defensive mistakes cost us.

“It has been an extremely tough start, having to play the top five teams, but we will soon be playing the teams around us and that is when we have to pick up points,” said the former Linfield striker.

“We want to look at catching the sides above us — not looking over our shoulders.”

Ballymena United: Nelson, Kane, R Black, Stewart, Taggart, McCutcheon, Jenkins, Teggart, Baker, Munster, Costello. Subs: Carson, Downey, Woods, Lowry, Rodgers.

GLENTORAN: Morris, Nixon, Clarke, Martyn, Ward, Waterworth, Boyce, Carson, Hill, O'Hanlon, Greacen. Subs: Hogg, O'Kane, Howland, E Murray, M Murray.

Referee: Raymond Hetherington (Dungannon).

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Carrick Rangers last night completed the signings of two former League of Ireland players.

Defender Philip Byrne and striker Shane Dolan have joined from Monaghan United and Drogheda United respectively.

They will make their debuts against Glentoran at Seaview on Saturday subject to international clearance.