Five takeaways from weekend Irish Premiership games

Matthew Shevlin was on target in Coleraine's 4-1 win over Portadown

It was another eventful weekend of action in the Irish Premiership, although one marred by an injury to Paul Heatley, which led to the abandonment of the game between Carrick Rangers and Bangor at Taylors Avenue.

Heatley was transported to hospital after he collided with a perimeter fence eight minutes into the second half with Bangor leading 1-0.

The weekend started with honours being shared in a 1-1 draw between leaders Glentoran and Linfield in the 'Big Two' showdown at the Oval, then on Saturday the top flight's third unbeaten team, Coleraine, powered to a 4-1 victory at Portadown.

Cliftonville secured a third league win in a row with their last-gasp 3-2 win over Ballymena United, while Larne made it four wins in succession by seeing off basement club Glenavon 1-0.

Crusaders were comprehensive 3-0 victors over Dungannon Swifts at Stangmore Park. Here are some of the main talking points.

More refereeing controversy

Following last week's controversy over the 'goal that wasn't a goal' in Linfield's 3-1 win over Portadown, match officials again found themselves under the microscope in this weekend's matches.

Referee Ben McMaster, taking charge of a Glentoran-Linfield game for the first time, awarded the sides a penalty kick apiece, but both looked questionable decisions.

First, Kirk Millar looked to have made minimal, if any, contact on James Singleton for the spot-kick which was converted by Pat Hoban for the Glens' opener.

Then Chris Shields equalised from the spot in the second half after Marcus Kane was adjudged to have hauled down Matthew Fitzpatrick despite the first contact appearing to have been made outside the area.

At Solitude on Saturday, it was a decision made by referee Louise Thompson which came under the focus as Ballymena defender Stephen O'Donnell was shown a second yellow card for a handball in the area, despite replays showing that it was United forward Ben Kennedy who had committed the offence.

Last week Northern Ireland Football League chief executive Gerard Lawlor expressed his opinion that the use of some form of technology to assist match officials could be beneficial to the league and this weekend's events may provide further evidence to support that point of view.

'Big Two' didn't disappoint

Linfield's Sean Brown challenges Glentoran forward Pat Hoban during a robust 'Big Two' derby

'A good advertisement for the Irish League' was the general consensus after a fiercely contested first 'Big Two' encounter of the season in front of the BBC cameras on Friday night.

Plenty of endeavour on show from two teams that are expected to be title contenders, but also loads of quality, as Glentoran and Linfield metaphorically slugged it out under the lights at the Oval and both emerged with their unbeaten starts to the campaign intact.

The visitors looked more comfortable on the ball for much of the contest but when the dust settled, both sides should be happy with a point gained, an outcome which was probably a fair one on the evening.

Linfield may have finished 22 points ahead of the chasing pack in the league last term, and collected 24 points more than their cross-city rivals, but four defeats to the east Belfast side during the course of the season will still have rankled with the Blues, with the building up of derby bragging rights still a major factor for their supporters.

Both sides are still without key players and the Glens in particular will welcome the return of David Fisher, Dylan Connolly, Christie Pattisson, Joe Thomson and Ciaran Coll when they become available again after injuries and suspensions.

Coleraine impress again

Coleraine's relentless early-season march continued as they swept aside Portadown to move to within one point of table-toppers Glentoran, who they face on Friday night in a game which will be broadcast live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

Will Patching's double and strikes from last season's leading marksman Matthew Shevlin and Joel Cooper ensured they remain very much in the conversation as potential Gibson Cup winners.

While the club's high-profile summer signings have made a major impact, Bannsiders manager Ruaidhri Higgins is quick to credit the contributions of the players who were already at the club and is determined to keep standards high.

"It's a learning curve for us, we can't take our foot off the pedal at any point in any game, but that's our third game away from home in a row and we've taken nine points, so we're delighted," Higgins told BBC Radio Ulster's Sportsound.

"Will [Patching] is an outstanding talent and we're delighted to have him but players who were here previous to our summer additions, there was brilliant quality here already, and we're getting the benefits of it. Those players are being every bit as influential as the lads who have been brought in."

Talking of possible title contenders, Larne continue to go about their business efficiently as they continued their winning sequence by condemning Glenavon to a seventh straight defeat to start the campaign.

Solitude thriller

Stephen O'Donnell battles for possession with Joe Gormley during a compelling contest at Solitude

If you were looking for drama, Solitude was the place to be on Saturday as a helter-skelter frantic meeting between Cliftonville and Ballymena ended up with the home side coming out on top thanks to Jack Keaney's goal from a free-kick in second-half stoppage time.

This game had a bit of everything - some spectacular goals, a missed penalty and controversy in the form of the apparently wrongful dismissal of Ballymena defender O'Donnell.

Both these teams will have high hopes of securing something they failed to achieve last season, namely a top-six finish, and on this showing those aspirations may well be merited.

The Reds appear to be hitting their stride after a difficult start to the campaign, and this victory sees them leapfrog over their opponents into the top half of the division.

Ballymena drop down to seventh after a third defeat in a row, having previously won their first three matches to start the season.

Defeats on the road to Larne and Cliftonville and a home reverse at the hands of Glentoran may dent the Braidmen's confidence a little but with a much stronger depth to their squad than 12 months ago Sky Blues fans can retain hope of a much-improved league finish compared to the ninth spot they managed last season.

Crues steady the ship

After losing four consecutive matches, three in the Premiership and one in the County Antrim Shield, Crusaders manager Declan Caddell will be mightily relieved to have scooped all three points from their visit to Stangmore Park.

Goals from 17-year-old Josh Williamson, Adam Brooks and Fraser Bryden off the bench with his fifth of the season saw off the Swifts in some style but equally pleasing for the Crues boss was keeping that previously elusive clean sheet.

"I'm delighted. It's been a long time coming. A clean sheet is probably the highlight today, because we've been leaking goals all season," Caddell told BBC Sport NI.

"We had a change of shape and personnel, and a few eyebrows were probably raised when I left Fraser Brayden out of the team, our top scorer in the league, but it was about getting the system right. It worked and we're delighted with the three points."

Another setback for Dungannon however as they languish 11th in the table with one win and six losses from their first seven.