NIFL Premiership

Ballymena United 1-0 Cliftonville 

CLIFTONVILLE’s top six hopes hang by a thread after they suffered a second successive league defeat in a matter of days and were leapfrogged by Ballymena United after a 1-0 defeat at the Ballymena Showgrounds on Saturday afternoon. 

Kian Corbally struck with 11 minutes to go and it was enough to give the Sky Blues their third win against the Reds this season and move them above the Solitude side, who have a game in hand away to in-form Coleraine on Tuesday evening. 

Assistant manager Gerard Lyttle felt that his side played okay despite their lack of chances and rued the mistakes which have blighted them in the last few days. 

“It’s the same conversations that we had after the game against Dungannon,” he bemoaned. 

“Although we didn't get anywhere near enough chances, I thought we played okay without testing Sean O’Neill. 

“Obviously, we’ve made a silly mistake and we’ve been punished for it and I think that has been the case this week in terms of the Dungannon game and this game. It’s disappointing obviously that we’ve come here and lost.

There were three alterations from Wednesday evening's defeat to Dungannon Swifts as Luke Conlon, Alex Parsons and Ryan Curran all returned. 

The opening half lacked any real quality and it was the hosts that had the better opportunities. 

Aaron Jarvis tried his luck with a spectacular effort from range that wasn’t far away in the end. 

On-loan Linfield attacker Ethan Devine then sent in a shot that Lewis Ridd parried, Kian Corbally followed up and had another dig that Ridd was equal to as the half ended scoreless. 

United went close again after the break through a Devine header from a corner that was dropped into the area. 

Cliftonville began to grow into the game and Jack Keaney almost broke the deadlock against the run of play, but Patrick McEleney steered his header off the line. 

Sean O’Neill was then called into action for the first time, diverting Alex Parsons' shot away at the near post. 

Then substitute Conor Pepper sent a dangerous cross in and Axel Piesold was unable to connect and send the ball goalwards. 

In the 79th minute, the deadlock was broken when Ben Kennedy cut out Micheál Glynn’s attempt to find Piesold and Kennedy switched the play to Kian Corbally to slot past Ridd and make it 1-0. 

Cliftonville were unable to hit back in the closing stages and slumped to a second league defeat in three days and a third defeat to the Sky Blues this season to leave them in 9th place and five points adrift of Portadown in sixth place with just games remaining. 

BALLYMENA UNITED: O’Neill, Lafferty, Jarvis, O’Donnell, McMullan, Edogun (McCurry 82’), McCallion, McEleney (Carson 67’), Devine (Kennedy 60’), Corbally. 

CLIFTONVILLE: Ridd, Casey, Addis (Glynn 74’), Keaney, Kearney, Wilson (Pepper 56’). Hale, Piesoold, Conlon, Parsons (Gormley 56’), Curran (Corrigan 75’). 

REFEREE: Ben McMaster