NIFL Premiership
Cliftonville 2–1 Coleraine
CLIFTONVILLE edged out Coleraine 2-1 after a thrilling last 10 minutes of Tuesday evening’s delayed encounter at Solitude.
Floodlight failure at half-time threatened the game’s conclusion, but after a repair the action was able to resume and the game lit up in the final 10 minutes.
Joe Gormley broke the deadlock and Jamie McDonagh saw his effort deflected into the net to give their side a 2-0 lead.
Coleraine made it a nervy finish through an Aaron Traynor header, but Cliftonville held out for the second time in three days to make it back-to-back league victories.
Reds’ boss Paddy McLaughlin admits he was worried that the game wouldn’t kick off again after the floodlight failure, but paid tribute to both sets of players for putting the distraction to one side and raising the standard in the second period.
“We didn’t even know; someone had to come in and tell us and we were in fear that the game would be called off,” he revealed.
“Up until then it was a brilliant game with two good sides playing some good football. We were worried that the game would be called off and we would have to do it again four or five weeks down the line.
“There was a bit of worry at that but once we got the go ahead. The delay didn’t affect the standard of the football that was played in the second half and if anything, I think we probably went up a gear.
“Fair play to both sets of players, they put on a good performance for the fans. I can’t praise our boys enough – I thought they were superb and some of the football that they played in the second half was top grade. If they can maintain that, the fans are going to be in for a treat this year.”
Cliftonville's Chris Curran in action with Aaron Traynor and Conor McKendry
McLaughlin made one change from the weekend’s victory over Carrick Rangers with Joe Gormley returning to the starting 11 at the expense of Daniel Kearns.
Gormley had the first half opening on five minutes when he latched onto a high ball forward, but he failed to get enough power or accuracy after lofting it over Gareth Deane and Aaron Jarvis was on hand to clear.
The Bannsiders’ first chance fell to Conor McKendry, but the midfielder burst forward and shot high over the crossbar.
Cliftonville thought they had hit the front on 18 minutes when a delicious cross from Jamie McDongah was met by Joe Gormley. The striker’s header was blocked by Gareth Deane and Ryan Curran’s acrobatic follow-up came off the bar with Gormley eventually scrambling home, but a late flag from the linesman cut short the celebrations.
McDonagh attempted to slip in Gormley a few minutes later, but his pass was over-cooked and the winger then let fly with a snapshot off target.
Ten minutes before the break, Coleraine substitute Josh Carson robbed Jonny Addis in possession before finding the run of Matthew Shevlin whose angled effort rose high over the bar.
Carson fizzed the ball across the face of goal and wide in first half injury-time as the sides went in at the interval with proceedings scoreless.
As the Reds were paying tribute to out-going chairman Gerard Lawlor at the break, floodlight failure plunged Solitude into darkness but the lights eventually came back on after 9pm and the second half got underway.
Coleraine began the second half brightly with Lyndon Kane dragging a free-kick wide and Stephen O’Donnell found himself in a shooting position, only to slice wide of the post.
At the other end, Joe Gormley was threaded through by Chris Gallagher with his effort pushed behind by Gareth Deane.
Jamie Harney and Rodney Brown tangle for the ball
The game was beginning to open up with the Bannsiders going close: Jamie Glackin’s knockdown fell invitingly for Eoin Bradley whose effort was steered off the line and behind for a corner by Ives.
Glackin then went close but shot into the side-netting from Lyndon Kane’s pass and midway through the second half, Eoin Bradley fired his free-kick through the wall but wide.
The breakthrough finally came on 79 minutes when Chris Curran made a perfectly-timed challenge to stop Conor McKendry in his tracks and defence quickly turned to attack.
Chris Gallagher switched the ball to Rory Hale who released Jamie McDonagh and his cross was headed home by Joe Gormley at the back post to give his side the lead, arguably against the run of play in the terms of chances created.
Within two minutes, the lead was extended with huge credit going to creator of the opener, McDongah, for chasing Jonny Addis’s high pass forward and steering the ball across the face of goal where Stephen O’Donnell deflected it home to make it 2-0.
It looked as though the scoring was complete for the evening, but a grandstand finish was on the cards as Coleraine hit back on 88 minutes.
Lyndon Kane’s supplied a deep cross to the back post where Aaron Traynor ghosted in unmarked to make it 2-1 with the simplest of headers.
Paddy Mclaughlin’s men soaked up the pressure in the remaining minutes, though, and made it two wins from two at home.
CLIFTONVILLE: Dunne, C Curran, Harney, Addis, Ives, Doherty, Gallagher, Hale (Lowe 86), McDonagh (Foster 82), R Curran, Gormley.
COLERAINE: Deane, Kane, Brown, Jarvis (Carson 24), McKendry, Lowry, Tweed (Bradley 60), O’Donnell, Glackin, Traynor, Shevlin (Friel 76).
REFEREE: Steven Gregg
