NIFL Premiership

Cliftonville 2-0 Glentoran 

CLIFTONVILLE boosted their hopes of a top six finish and had a positive dress rehearsal for the Bet McLean Cup Final in two weeks’ time with a 2-0 win over Glentoran at Solitude on Friday evening. 

Quickfire goals from Ryan Curran and Jack Keaney just past the hour mark sealed the points and inflicted a first defeat in 16-games for the Glens. 

Reds' manager Jim Magilton was pleased that we got the response that he called for pre-game and praised the appetite, attitude and application of his squad. 

“It was the best response we could have gave,” he reflected. 

“In terms of letting ourselves down last week and letting our fans down last week, we had an awful lot of making up to do. 

“This week, the appetite of the players, their attitude to training and obviously their application tonight (was better). 

“Both teams cancelled each other out to a certain extent in the first half. We showed a great desire to win the game and three-points was huge for us.”

Magilton made two alterations to the starting Xi that was beaten 3-1 at Mourneview Park last weekend. 

Micheál Glynn and Stephen McGuinness both dropped to the bench with Jonny Addis and Luke Conlon returning. 

Both sides struggled to make their mark in the opening half under the Solitude lights. 
The closest opportunity to the opener came in the form of a Danny Amos free-kick that sailed inches past the post and past Kodi Lyons-Fosters outstretched foot. 

Glens' goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai opted for safety first in diverting Luke Conlon’s cross behind for a corner at the other end, but the half ended scoreless. 

The opener should have arrived early in the second half after Lewis Ridd parried a Christie Pattison attempt and with Nathaniel Ferris on hand to potentially slam the loose ball home, ex-Glentoran midfielder Harry Wilson made a diving block to avert the danger. 

Just after the hour mark, Shea Kearney was inches away from finding Ryan Curran with a perfect cross to the front post where Gyollai smothered at the strikers feet. 

The opener arrived after 65 minutes. Rory Hale disposed Finley Thorndike in midfield and let fly with a low effort from distance that bobbled and caused Daniel Gyollai difficulty as Ryan Curran was on hand for the simplest of tap ins to make it 1-0. 

A long ball from Jonny Addis caused a mix-up in the Glentoran defence almost allowed Curran in for a second, but with the angle against him he laid off to Rory Hale to tee up substitute Micheál Glynn, whose cannoned shot was deflected to partial safety and Alex Parsons follow-up was deflected behind for a corner. 

It was from the resulting set-piece that the second arrived as Parsons dropped to the ball into the back post where Jack Keaney powered home to claim his first goal for the club. 

Glentoran should have pulled a goal back from Johnny Russell’s attempt from distance that Lewis Ridd somehow got a fingertip to and it was enough to see the ball whistle over at the expense of a corner. 

In added time, Jack Keaney curled a free-kick inches past the target and substitutes Ryan Corrigan and Joe Gormley combined, although Gormley was unable to add his name to the scoresheet in the end as Curran and Keaney’s goals saw the hosts return to winning ways and return to the top six. 

CLIFTONVILLE: Ridd, Addis (Piesold 80’), Casey, Keaney, Kearney, Gordon (Gormley 80’), Hale, Wilson, Conlon (Glynn 60’), Parsons (McGuinness 80’), Curran (Corrigan 89’). 

GLENTORAN: Gyollai, Lyons-Foster, Sule, Palmer, Coll, McEleney, Amos (Jenkins 69’), Pattison (Johnson 90’), Russell, Ferris, Thorndike (Lindsay 66’). 

REFEREE: Tim Marshall