Ballymena really should have taken an eighth minute lead when Gary Muir somehow turned the ball wide with the goal at his mercy after City 'keeper Andy Coleman sliced at a Darren King backpass.

That proved to be a rare moment of promise in an otherwise uneventful first half although, on 39 minutes, Alan Davidson did hit the post with a curling effort before Dwayne Nelson rushed out to smother Stephen Garrett's follow-up.

The second half produced little better although the visitors might twice had taken the lead in the closing minutes when Andy Graham beat Aaron Stewart to the ball only to be thwarted by Nelson who then got down to save from the same player moments later after Davidson had played him through.