Ballyclare Comrades put in another good performance but lost out to Premiership outfit Ballymena United in another well-attended pre-season friendly at Dixon Park.

The first half saw the hosts holding their own against their Premiership opponents and the sides went in at the break evenly-matched at 0-0.

Ballymena hit the front three minutes after the restart with former Annagh United man Igor Rutkowski scoring with a shot from inside the box after a corner.

Ballyclare Comrades continued to compete well and had opportunities to get on the scoresheet, but it was the visitors who added to their tally late in the game. In the 80th minute Rutkowski scored again with a neat lob over the keeper after a well worked move.

The result helped to give Comrades manager Nathan McConnell another look at his squad versus high-quality opponents, while also helping to get more minutes in the legs as pre-season preparation ramps up.