NIFL Premiership

Larne 2-1 Cliftonville 

LARNE inflicted a damaging defeat on Cliftonville’s title hopes with goals in each half from Leroy Millar and Andy Ryan ensuring the Inver-Reds moved three points ahead of their nearest rivals at the league summit. 

Tiarnan Lynch’s charges dominated the opening half and eventually made the breakthrough when influential Millar sent a low drive past Nathan Gartside. 

Cliftonville began the second half brighter, but suffered a blow when Jamie McDonagh went to ground a little easier for the liking of Raymond Crangle who showed the winger a second yellow card. 

Andy Ryan looked to have given his side some breathing space, but Jonny Addis set up a grandstand finish with his second goal in successive games. 

It wasn’t enough to spark a comeback though as Larne moved three points ahead of the Reds at the top of the table. 

Reds’ assistant manager Declan O’Hara felt it was a big ask once they fell 2-0 behind and was reluctant to comment on the second yellow card given to Jamie McDonagh, which proved costly in the end. 

“(At) 2-0 down was a big ask against a good side,” O’Hara admitted.  

“In fairness our boys, with half an hour to go we dug deep. The sending-off doesn’t help us, but credit to our boys. They gave it their all and that’s all we can ask for. It was too big of an uphill task for us against a good side with 10 men. 

“I need to watch it back, but I claimed for a penalty to be quite honest, which is understandable. I haven’t seen it back so I can’t really comment on it, but Raymond has made the decision and Jamie has been booked in the first half. I can’t complain at the minute but when I watch it back, it might be a different story.”

The visitors made a number of alterations from Tuesday evening's 3-0 win over Portadown. 

Two were enforced as Levi Ives and Rory Hale both dropped out through injury, they were replaced by Sean Moore and Odhran Casey respectively. 

Luke Turner and Joe Gormley also dropped to the bench, with Colin Coates and David Parkhouse coming in at their expense.  

The league leaders started the game in the ascendancy as January signing Joe Thomson floated a corner to the back post where Cian Bolger was unable to steer home. 

Lee Bonis was then threaded through on goal and Nathan Gartside stood tall and made himself big to deny Larne’s talisman. 

The pressure intensified when Tomas Cosgrove’s cross was partially punched clear by Gartside, and Leroy Millar’s follow-up effort was blocked. Millar let fly with a snapshot that rose over the bar moments later. 

Midway through the first half, Larne went close again. Tomas Cosgrove let fly with an effort that was headed clear by Colin Coates, panic ensued in the area and Lee Bonis then found room for a shot that was tipped behind by Gartside at the expense of a corner. 

Very much under the cosh, things weren’t about to improve for Cliftonville when Sean Moore was forced to depart through an injury as Aaron Traynor entered proceedings just shy of the half-hour mark. 

Larne eventually made the pressure tell and hit the front after 33 minutes. Fuad Sule dispossessed Ronan Doherty with a crunching tackle and slipped a pass to Leroy Millar, whose shot from distance curled low past Gartside and into the net to make it 1-0. 

Ronan Doherty went close with a turn and shot at the other end, but Cliftonville were fortunate not to go 2-0 behind at the break. 

Millar released Andy Ryan through on goal and the former Hamilton striker lifted the ball over Gartside and into the net, only for the offside flag to cut short the celebrations. Nonetheless, the hosts were in a commanding position after a dominant display in the opening half. 

Cliftonville began the second period with a little more intent and were awarded a free kick when Jamie McDonagh’s cross was handled outside the area. 

Ronan Doherty curled in the resulting set piece that glanced off the head of Jonny Addis and whistled past the near post. 

Any hopes of a fightback suffered a huge blow when McDonagh was dismissed before the hour-mark. 

Booked for a challenge on Sule in the opening half, the winger drifted inside and went down the under the challenge of Aaron Donnelly. 

Referee Raymond Crangle felt that McDonagh threw himself down a little easily and showed him a second yellow card and for the second time this season the Reds would see the game out with 10 men in east Antrim. 

Larne tried to make use of their numerical advantage. Sule kept a dangerous attack alive, but his cut-back was blazed over the bar by Cian Bolger. 

Lee Bonis thought he had doubled his side's advantage when he turned the ball home after Gartside had parried a Micheál Glynn initial effort. However, the offside flag denied the Inver Reds for the second time. 

A slack back pass from Colin Coates then allowed Joe Thompson a one-on-one with Gartside and the midfielder went to ground after colliding with the Reds ’keeper, but like McDonagh, referee Crangle felt Thomson made the most of things and was booked. 

Lee Bonis with Colin Coates
2Gallery

Lee Bonis with Colin Coates

Lee Bonis hooked a chance wide of the post and Andy Ryan curled a further sighting wide before the Inver outfit doubled their advantage. 

Bonis flicked the ball into the path of goal scorer Millar, and he squared the ball to Ryan, and he slammed home to make it 2-0 with little under a quarter of an hour remaining. 

The 10 men of Cliftonville weren’t going to give up easily and set up a grandstand finish with eight minutes remaining. 

Ronan Doherty launched a free-kick into the area and Jonny Addis chested down and fired into the roof of the net to score his second goal in as many days. 

Another Doherty delivery caused panic in the Larne area, the danger was only half cleared, with Chris Gallagher miscuing and slicing an effort wide of the target. 

That would prove to be the Reds’ final opportunity as Larne saw the game out to move three points clear of their nearest rivals. 

The Inver Reds have the opportunity to move six clear when they visit Ballymena on Tuesday evening in their game in hand. 

LARNE: Ferguson, Want (Watson 89’), Sule, Bonis, Donnelly, Bolger, Thomson (Gordon 73’), Millar, Glynn (Kelly 73’), Cosgrove, Ryan (O’Neill 89’). 

CLIFTONVILLE: Gartside, Lowe, Addis, Coates (Turner 82’), Moore (Traynor 29’), Gallagher, Doherty, Casey (Gormley 63’), Ronan Hale, McDonagh, Parkhouse (C Curran 82’). 

REFEREE: Raymond Crangle