Ballinamallard were left to rue missed chances as a superb Rodney Brown strike six minutes from time earned Coleraine the points at Ferney Park tonight.

The Mallards produced some good periods of football and created some good opportunities but they were made to pay for not making the most of these as the high flying visitors finished the game strongly to take all three points which moves them up to second in the Danske Bank Premiership.

The first half was a slow burner with little in the way of goal mouth action in the opening quarter.

Ballinamallard were the first to offer any sort of a threat when Liam Martin broke from the middle of the park and looked to put Ryan Campbell in on goal but Coleraine goalkeeper Michael Doherty just got to the ball ahead of the Mallards striker.

It was high flying Coleraine though who were to grab the lead on the half hour mark following a mistake by goalkeeper Stefan McCusker.  Good work by Jamie McGonigle saw him open up a shooting opportunity but his effort did not look as if it would cause much trouble.  It was spilled though by McCusker, who was standing in for the suspended Alvin Rouse, and Ian Parkhill accepted the gift to tap home.

The Mallards response to the set back though was good as they pressed for an equaliser.

Martin again broke forward and laid the ball off to Adam Lecky but he could not find the unmarked Ryan Campbell while Jason McCartney should have equalised in the 37th minute.

Lecky rolled the ball across the six yard box to McCartney but he somehow shot wide with the goal at his mercy.

The home side continued were they left off at the start of the second half as Martin was denied by Doherty after he was slid in by McCartney.

And the Mallards grabbed a deserved equaliser in the 57th minute when the impressive Lecky rose to head home a McCartney corner.

At this stage there only looked to be one winner as the home side controlled matters but it was the Bannsiders who were to find a big finish.

They got on top in the final 15 minutes with McCusker saving from the lively McGonigle while Colm McLaughlin made a terrific last ditch block to thwart Ian Parkhill.

Coleraine's pressure though told in the end as Brown cut in from the right before lashing a drive into the far corner to ensure a happy journey home for Oran Kearney's side.