Carrick Rangers draw at home to Glentoran

The home side took the lead midway through the second half when Ben Roy found the net with the help of a deflection. Marcus Kane levelled matters with a sublime strike from distance.

The result means new boys Carrick have taken four points from a possible nine in their opening three matches.

The Glens will be left to rue a string of missed chances in the first half. They were denied on more than one occasion by the superb goalkeeping of Brian Neeson. Conor McMenamin and David Scullion both had efforts acrobatically saved by Carrick’s number one.

Midway through the first half, the visitors also squandered two big chances in a matter of seconds when McMenamin’s low effort was parried by Neeson. Curtis Allen was alert to the follow-up, but his shot was inadvertently blocked on the line by a sprawling McMenamin.

Three minutes before the interval Ryan Arthur misjudged his header allowing Scullion to break clear but the former Coleraine man contrived to lift the ball over the bar.

Carrick’s first meaningful chance of the match arrived right on the stroke of half-time when Roy fired the ball across Aaron Hogg, only to see it canon off the foot of the upright.

Carrick broke the deadlock on 64 minutes when Roy’s deflected shot from just inside the 18-yard box left Hogg with no chance.

Gary Browne, on for Miguel Chines, went close to doubling the home side’s advantage when he headed on to the bar after a long throw from McCloskey on 71 minutes.

The East Belfast side got back on level terms with 15 minutes left on the clock when former Carrick player Kane rifled an unstoppable volley into the top corner. An early contender for goal of the season, Kane lofted the ball over Aaron Harmon with his left foot, before unleashing a dipping 25-yard screamer into the net with his right.

Carrick Rangers: Neeson - Doyle, Kelly, Arthur (Browne 45), McNeill - Harmon (c), Cherry, Surgenor, McCloskey - Roy, Chines (Miskimmin 65). Subs not used: Kane, Johnston, McKenna.

Glentoran: Hogg - Holland, Birney, Addis, Kane - McAlorum (c) (Gibson 82), Nelson (McCaffrey 69) - Stewart, Scullion (O’Hanlon 69), Allen - McMenamin. Subs not used: Magee, Garrett.

Referee: Steven Taylor (Belfast)