Crusaders halted a four-game losing streak thanks to an impressive second-half showing as they beat Limavady United 4-1 at the Showgrounds.

Four goals in the final 10 minutes saw the Crues pick up only their second away win of the season.

An entertaining first half somehow finished goalless, but five minutes into the second, the impressive Elliot Dunlop fired the visitors in front.

The Roesiders pushed hard to get back into the game but when Owen Wardell added a second for Crusaders with eight minutes to go, it looked a lost cause.

Substitute Oisin Duffy briefly gave them renewed hope as he halved the deficit on 85 minutes, but that was short-lived as Dunlop and Donal Rocks found the net again to secure a much-needed victory for Declan Caddell's side.

The big news before the game was the loss of top scorer Jamie McGonigle for the Roesiders after the on-loan striker was ruled out with a hamstring injury picked up in the midweek draw at Larne.

McGonigle's stand-in, John Butcher, showed his qualities inside four minutes as he jinked past his marker on the edge of the Crusaders box before forcing Shea Callister into a save with a low drive.

The visitors have struggled for goals of late, scoring only once in their last four league games and they came close in the 10th minute as Lloyd Anderson got his head to Owen Wardell's inswinging cross, but it flew the wrong side of the post.

The Roesiders should have edged in front on 19 minutes as the Boorman brothers combined with Ruairi picking out Tiarnan in the box, but the centre-back's diving header flew over the bar.

Crusaders started to impose themselves on the game as Dunlop worked some space for himself before drilling a shot across the face of goal, which Gallagher did well to parry away.

Back came Limavady with Tiarnan Boorman, fresh from his earlier sighter, clipping the top of the Crusaders crossbar with another header from a Lewis Tosh corner.

The deadlock was finally broken five minutes into the second half a Dunlop was fed by Jewitt-White before drilling a low shot into the corner past a static Gallagher.

Roesiders boss Paul Owens threw on Leon Boyd and Duffy to try and find a way back into the game with the latter crashing an effort off the outside of the post just past the hour mark.

The hosts were left scratching their heads in disbelief as to how they had not levelled things up on 68 minutes after Lafferty had headed Wilson's deep cross back across the face of the Crusaders goal.

Somehow both Butcher and Philip Lowry failed to make contact with the ball as they slid in with the goal at their mercy.

With eight minutes to go Crusaders all but wrapped up the win as Wardell cut in from the right-hand side before curling a superb effort past Gallagher into the top corner.

But Limavady weren't done just yet as Duffy lashed in from outside the box to renew his side's hopes of rescuing a point.

Just three minutes later those hopes were extinguished again as Rocks found the net with another strike from outside the box.

The visitors rubbed further salt into Limavady's wounds two minutes into additional time as Dunlop skipped past several challenges in the box before poking beyond Gallagher to finally seal the points.

Crusaders manager Declan Caddell: "It's been a tough couple of weeks. It's nothing that I didn't expect at the start of the season, judging by last season. We are going to hit highs, we are going to hit lows, but it's a tight group in there.

"Myself, the coaching staff, and the players are all pushing the same way. That's a testament to them for the amount of bodies and personnel we're missing, but to be able to come up here and deliver that performance, it's brilliant."

Limavady United manager Paul Owens on McGonigle's inury: "Jamie's had a scan and the results aren't overly great. We're going to send him a specialist as well and just see. He'll be out for at least a few weeks anyway.

"As disappointing as it is, it was a massive signing when we brought him here, he helped to galvanise the group, but as I've been saying for weeks, it's not just about Jamie. To be fair everybody has really stepped up.

"Even today, as flat as we were, we still created loads of opportunities. But maybe Jamie on another day would have scored one or two."