NIFL Premiership

Cliftonville 3–0 Ballymena United 

A BRACE from Ronan Hale either side of the break and a sensational strike from Ronan Doherty ensured that Cliftonville maintained pace with Larne and Linfield ahead of them after defeating Ballymena United 3-0 at Solitude on Saturday afternoon. 

Hale broke the deadlock from the spot before the break and then squeezed home a second on the hour mark before Doherty capped things off with a stunning strike to make it three wins from three against the Sky Blues this term. 

Reds’ boss Jim Magilton was pleased that his side were able to continue their momentum, whilst acknowledging that things could have been better performance wise. 

“The clean sheet and the three points, all of that is really important and it keeps us on that forward momentum,” he said.

“It is very important for us to win games, so I’m delighted with the result.

“It was a start-stop performance. These lads have very high standards and when we drop below them, they get upset and that is a good thing. We’ve come this far into the season and we know we can play better, but it was really important obviously to win the game.”

Magilton was forced into two alterations from the starting 11 that defeated Newry last weekend: Ronan Hale and Luke Turner dropped out through injury with Ben Wylie and Stephen McGuinness coming in.

Cliftonville carved out the first opportunity of the game when Sean Stewart’s low pass into the feet of Ben Wilson was sent goalwards and Sean O’Neill did fantastically to turn Wilson’s shot onto the bar. 

Stewart was providing a threat down the left and he supplied a further cross that arrived for Ben Wylie on his full debut, but the former Ballymena United loanee scooped his shot over the bar. 

Visitors Ballymena created their first half chance after 18 minutes when Frazer Taylor robbed Odhran Casey and charged forward before slipping a pass to Mickey Place, but his shot was easily smothered by David Odumosu. 

On the half-hour mark, Cliftonville went close again. Shea Kearney released Wilson to whip in a cross from the right that Ronan Hale met with his head, but the crossbar denied the 25-year-old from breaking the deadlock. 

He would have a further chance within two minutes as his side were awarded a penalty by referee Ben McMaster following Dylan Boyle clipping the heel of Sean Stewart in the area. 

Hale stepped up and rifled low to the right of Sean O’Neill and into the bottom corner for his 12th goal in all competitions this season. 

The Reds were forced into a switch before the break after Ben Wilson went off with a calf injury to be replaced by Joe Gormley as Hale’s goal proved the difference at the interval. 

The Sky Blues came out the traps fast after the break as Frazer Taylor jinked past Casey and sent his shot into the midriff of Odumosu. 

Ronan Hale then let fly with a speculative drive that scaled the target and Sean O’Neill did well to parry another Hale effort after Sean Stewart slipped him in. 

Ryan Waide was unable to connect to Sean Brown’s deflected cross before the hour mark and it was an opportunity they would rue as Cliftonville doubled their lead within 60 seconds. 

Ronan Hale nets his second
2Gallery

Ronan Hale nets his second

A confident pass out of defence from Ronan Doherty picked out Hale and he played a one-two with strike partner Gormley before having the confidence to cut back and show neat footwork to steer his shot beyond the grasp of Sean O’Neill and Sean Brown on the line to double his account for the afternoon. 

Jim Ervin’s Sky Blues pushed for a goal that would have breathed new life into the game. 

Substitute Noah Stewart picked out Ryan Waide inside the area and he flashed an effort past the post, while moments later Mickey Place’s header was gathered by Odumosu. 

The three points were made safe with little over 10 minutes remaining. Ronan Doherty spun past Kym Nelson and unleashed a high, curling shot into the top corner past O’Neill for his first league goal since netting against Carrick Rangers at Solitude in August. 

Doherty’s goal was the final action of note as the Reds saw the game out to maintain their four-point gap with Larne and eight on league-leaders Linfield with a game in hand. 

CLIFTONVILLE: Odumosu, Kearney, Addis, Casey, McGuinness, Stewart, Doherty, C Curran (Pepper 74’), Wylie (Gordon 60’), Ronan Hale, Wilson (Gormley 38’). 

BALLYMENA UNITED: O’Neill, Nelson, Whiteside, Waide (Friel 82’), McCullough (Boyle 90+3’), Taylor, McGrory (Stewart 64’), Tennant, Boyle, Brown, Place (Mallon 82’). 

REFEREE: Ben McMaster