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Black struck twice inside the first half-an-hour to put the Crues beyond reach of a new look Glenavon at Seaview.

"Aaron Black us a top quality footballer. He gave a class performance in there," said Baxter.

"We knew what we were getting when we brought him here, he got 16 goals last season and two today.

"He's fitted in really well, he's a good lad as well and we're very pleased with his performance. I thought he was excellent."

Crusaders may be looking down on the rest of table at this early stage but their north Belfast neighbours, Cliftonville, were determined not to be outdone despite falling behind to an early goal at the Ballymena Showgrounds.

Neil Teggart fired the Sky Blues into the lead as early as the third minute but five goals in a blistering 25 minute period either side of the break, including a Chris Scannell hat-trick, saw the Reds roar back to record an emphatic victory.

Assistant manager Tommy Breslin was naturally delighted at how Cliftonville bounced back, not only from Teggart's early goal but from the Reds' dismal form at the tail end of last season.

"Up until St. Patrick's weekend you could argue we were the best team in the league last season, yet from March until the end of the season we couldn't buy a win.

"We asked them is them is the hunger still there and that was the response they gave us."

It was a huge day, too, for Bangor who marked their senior return with a 3-2 defeat of Institute at Clandeboye Park - and this despite trailing by two Paul Brown penalties just after the break.

However, goals from Andy Cleary, David Irvine and a Noel Anderson stoppage time winner saw Marty Quinn mark his managerial debut at the Seasiders with a win.

And he was delighted at how his players responded to falling behind to that second Brown spot-kick.

"They showed great spirit and that's how I want my teams to play," said Quinn.

"The second penalty should have been it for us but the boys showed a lot of spirit and character to get themselves back into the game."

Elsewhere, a John Martin strike after 61 minutes - sixty seconds after coming on - handed champions Linfield victory at Windsor Park over Newry City.

It was similar outcome for Coleraine at home to Dungannon Swifts.

Davy Patton grabbed the only goal after just 11 minutes to ensure a winning start for new boss David Platt while at Ballyskeagh Lisburn Distillery and Glentoran shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

The Whites had led through an 11th minute Peter McCann goal but a Dean Fitzgerald equaliser three minutes from the end earned the Glens a point.

For reports, statistics and further information on all Saturday's games visit the official JJB Sports Premiership website.