Two first half own goals handed the points on a plate to their hosts although a late fightback almost secured a share of the spoils for the Lurgan Blues.

Defender Jay Magee was the first to send the ball past his own 'keeper when, on 14 minutes, he somehow chipped the ball over Andrew Plummer from some 25 yards.

And it got worse for the visitors six minutes from the break when Willo McDonagh headed the ball into his own net whilst attempting to clear a Mark Patterson corner.

Ronan Scannell made it 3-0 on 64 minutes with a crisp ten yard drive past Plummer after Liam Boyce laid the ball back from a Francis Murphy corner.

McDonagh atoned for his earlier error on 77 minutes with a successfully converted penalty awarded after Scannell had stopped a goalbound Tony Grant effort with his hand - for which the Cliftonville defender received a straight red card.

The arrears were halved with seven minutes remaining after McDonagh rose highest to nod a Shea Campbell ball past John Connolly but moments later Glenavon were also reduced to ten men after Grant grappled with Liam Fleming in his attempts to retrieve the ball from the back of the net.