Portstewart vs Ballymena United

Portstewart stunned the visitors with an early opener in the 8th minute, but the lead lasted only 12 minutes. Ballymena levelled through an unassisted strike in the 20th minute, then took control with two further goals before half-time — in the 28th and 40th minutes — to lead 3-1 at the break.

Ballymena captain Steven McCullough, wearing the armband for the first half, told the club's official channel: "It's good to be back. It's good to get minutes in the legs. Obviously we only had 45 each but it's good to be back and obviously good to get the win."

The Sky Blues continued their dominance after the restart. A fourth goal arrived in the 52nd minute, and they added a fifth in the 90th minute to round off a convincing scoreline.

Portstewart's early goal gave the hosts a platform, but Ballymena's response inside 12 minutes — and the two quickfire strikes that followed before half-time — killed the contest as a competitive affair. The three-goal flurry between the 20th and 40th minutes left the hosts chasing the game.

Steven McCullough — The Ballymena captain led by example in the first half, organising the midfield after the early setback. McCullough noted the value of back-to-back friendlies: "Having two games means you can get 75 to 90 minutes every game, so you're going to have full match fitness."

Scott Whiteside — The midfielder made his return from a long-term injury layoff, playing 45 minutes. His last competitive appearance was the 2025 Irish Cup final. "It's been a very long time since I played competitively," he said. "It's good to be back."

Ballymena's attacking unit — With five different goalscorers across the 90 minutes, the Sky Blues showed depth in their forward options. The three first-half goals in a 20-minute spell demonstrated sharp finishing in the early stages of pre-season.

Ballymena's 5-1 victory continues a trend of high-scoring affairs in this fixture. The two previous meetings between these sides — both Ballymena wins — produced a combined eight goals (4.0 per match), with both teams scoring in one of the two. Over 2.5 goals have landed in all three meetings, including this one.

The half-time score of 1-3 suggests Ballymena's intensity was high from the start — they scored three in the opening 40 minutes after conceding first — and the 52nd-minute goal early in the second half confirmed the gap in class between the NIFL Premiership side and their Premier Intermediate League hosts.

Ballymena United begin their pre-season schedule with a convincing win in their first of several friendlies ahead of the 2026/27 NIFL Premiership campaign. The club's season tickets for the new campaign have already gone on sale with prices frozen.

Portstewart, who compete in the NIFL Premier Intermediate League (third tier of Northern Irish football), will look to sharpen up defensively in their remaining pre-season fixtures.

A one-sided pre-season affair that followed the script: a higher-division side against a lower-league opponent, with Ballymena's quality and fitness telling after an early scare. The return of Scott Whiteside from long-term injury is a significant positive for the Sky Blues beyond the scoreline.