Stuart King was forced into two changes from the midweek County Antrim Shield defeat to Glentoran as Steven Gordon came in for the suspended Kurtis Forsythe while David Cushley took the place of the injured Kyle Cherry.
King himself, too, was serving a suspension and took the game in from the main stand while his assistant Scott Irvine led the direction coming from the dugout.
Carrick started the game brightly with Danny Purkis putting the ball in the net after six minutes having rounded visiting ‘keeper Daniel Devine but it was ruled out for offside.
Nedas Maciulaitis then found Curtis Allen in the middle of the box who snatched at the ball, sending it comfortably towards Devine before Maciulaitis tried his own luck ten minutes later through a twenty-yard strike that soared narrowly over the crossbar.
A great chance then fell the way of Loughgall’s Tiernan Kelly as he got on the end of Pablo Andrade’s cross with a free header from six yards out that, much to the relief of the hosts, he somehow sent wide of the target.
Rangers continued to dominate proceedings in the opening stages, though, and skipper David Cushley was next to go close as his thunderous shot from the edge of the box was pushed onto the crossbar by the fingertips of Devine.
From the resulting corner, the ‘Gers found the opening goal.
Cushley was the provider as he swung the ball in and Allen flicked it on towards the back post where centre-half Lewis MacKinnon was on hand to poke it over the line from close range.
Just before the break, Caolan Loughran delivered a ball into the box that striker Jay Boyd connected with, sending his shot past the far upright.
While Carrick had certainly controlled the first forty-five, there was a switch in the ascendancy after the interval as Dean Smith’s side got themselves back into the game.
Ross Glendinning made a vital save to deny Jordan Gibson’s header from an Andrade delivery before the Villagers would find their equaliser just two minutes later.
The ball was worked across to Jamie Rea on the left flank whose cross evaded everyone in the penalty box except for Boyd who was lurking in space at the far post to fire in the leveller.
Looking to regain their lead, Carrick went close through Purkis as his header from a Reece Glendinning corner-kick came back off the post.
Boyd could, and perhaps should, have netted his second of the afternoon as he latched onto Kelly’s forward pass, racing through one-on-one but was denied by the diving save of Glendinning.
As the game entered its final twenty minutes, Loughgall took the lead.
Alan Teggart lobbed the ball forward to Benji Magee who dribbled into the penalty area from the left and slid the ball through the legs of Glendinning from six yards.
Their advantage was short-lived, however, as Rangers responded merely minutes later.
Joe Crowe crossed to the back post where the ball broke for Albert Watson who touched it inside for Purkis to ruthlessly smash home and restore parity.
Substitute Emmett McGuckin went close to finding a winner for the hosts as he narrowly shot wide with a well-executed effort from just outside the box, but in the end each side had to settle for a point apiece.
Carrick Rangers: Ross Glendinning; Lewis MacKinnon, Albert Watson, Steven Gordon; Reece Glendinning, Joe Crowe, David Cushley (Mark Surgenor, 84), Ben Tilney; Nedas Maciulaitis; Danny Purkis, Curtis Allen (Emmett McGuckin, 77).
Unused substitutes: Ben McCauley, Ben Buchanan-Rolleston, Jack Montgomery, Josh Andrews, Jaydyn Withers.
Bookings: Steven Gordon (37’), Reece Glendinning (70’), David Cushley (78’), Emmett McGuckin (90+2’)
Loughgall: Daniel Devine; Caolan Loughran, Ben Murdock, Luke Cartwright; Pablo Andrade, Alan Teggart, Tiernan Kelly, Jamie Rea; Jordan Gibson (Oran Brogan, 88); Benji Magee, Jay Boyd (Nathaniel Ferris, 76).
Unused substitutes: Berraat Turker, Andrew Hoey, Robbie Norton, Mark Patton, Aaron Duke.
Bookings: Jay Boyd (16’), Ben Murdock (39’), Jordan Gibson (42’), Caolan Loughran (44’), Tiernan Kelly (83’)
Referee: Ben McMaster
Domino’s Pizza Man of the Match: Nedas Maciulaitis
