In the Northern Ireland Football League Premiership match held on 28th October 2023, Ballymena United hosted the Dungannon Swifts. The match saw a balanced outcome as both teams managed to score a goal, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

To assess this game, we'll consider various statistical factors to understand the competitiveness and strategy from both sides. Kicking off with the goals, Ballymena United scored their only goal in the first half, precisely at 00:24:22. This undoubtedly gave them an early edge in the game; however, they failed to capitalize on it further by amplifying their lead. On the other hand, the Swifts' resilience materialized in the second half as they found the back of the goal at 00:50:08 to level the score.

Going through the disciplinary aspects; with each team receiving two yellow cards, it's noticeable that the game was fairly contested and refereed. The first yellow card came at 00:21:16 which was shown to a Ballymena player, three minutes before their goal. The second card for Ballymena was in the second half at 00:58:23. Comparatively, the Swifts got their first booking at 00:30:21 in the first half and the second one quite late in the game at 01:21:00.

Corner kicks, being a key attacking asset, were more in favor of the home side with Ballymena United having 8 corners while Dungannon Swifts managed 6. It showed Ballymena were more aggressive on the offence, yet scoring only one goal implies their efficiency on set pieces needs improvement.

Interestingly, the offsides were equally split between the two teams, each having 2 infringements. This statistic indicates a well-structured defensive play from both sides, keeping their lines in check and the rival forwards at bay.

While no red cards were shown, highlighting a game played within the sporting spirit, the yellow cards reveal a level of aggressiveness from both sides. Moreover, the equal number of offsides indicate that both teams were equally ambitious in their attacking runs but were often caught off guard by rigid defenses.

Conclusively, the key factors influencing this draw can be down to Dungannon Swifts' persistent attack, the premature goal from Ballymena, and well-structured defensive play from both sides. Possessing the home advantage, Ballymena United's inability to convert their higher number of corner kicks into goals might have cost them the win.

All in all, with the teams displaying an evenly-matched performance, the resulting 1-1 draw seems quite fitting to the nature of this contest.

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