NIFL Premiership

Cliftonville 1–3 Larne 

THREE second-half goals ensured Larne came away from Solitude with the points on Friday to maintain their dominance over Cliftonville.

Rory Donnelly’s first goal in his third spell with the club was the difference at the interval, but Larne hit back early in the second half through captain Tomas Cosgrove. 

Stand-in captain Jonny Addis was then dismissed on his 32nd birthday for a push on Andy Ryan that referee adjudged to have taken place in the area and Andy Ryan stroked home from the spot, with Paul O’Neill sealing the points with a header at the back post minutes later to wrap up a comprehensive win. 

Reds boss Jim Magilton branded the 15-minute period they self-destructed as ‘complete madness’ though felt that referee Christopher Morrison got the penalty decision that led to Addis’ red card all wrong. 

“I’d say all the really good work that happened in the first half, disappeared in 10-15 minutes of complete madness,” he admitted. 

“Really poor defending for all the goals in all honesty. It’s a sending off but he [Addis] is miles outside the box. It’s a really poor decision from the referee. He has to consult his linesman. His linesman was up with play; he’s got to look across the line and take a second to breathe, consult with him and then say he’s outside the box and it’s a red card. 

“One straight ball with two experienced defenders should not happen. That was really poor and then the goals after that were awful. Done on the back post twice with really poor defending again.”

Magilton made three changes from the side that was beaten by Ballymena United last weekend. 

Shaun Leppard, Rory Donnelly, and Ryan Curran all returned to the starting XI, whilst Luke Conlon dropped out altogether and Joe Gormley and Taylor Steven were on the bench. 

The hosts looked dangerous from set pieces in the opening quarter.

Shea Kearney whipped in a cross which Ryan Nolan diverted behind and from the resulting corner Shaun Leppard saw his goal-bound header cleared off the line. 

Two minutes later, Cliftonville made the breakthrough. Ronan Doherty dropped in a corner from the other side of the pitch and Rory Donnelly turned the ball home at the back post despite the best efforts of Sam Todd on the line. 

Just after the half hour mark, Doherty sent another corner in on top and Rohan Ferguson managed to gather under pressure. 

Kearney then played an inch-perfect cross into the path of Ryan Curran in the area and Shaun Want did just enough to deny Curran doubling his side’s lead. 

Larne almost levelled before the break with a rasping Dylan Sloan drive from distance that crashed off the bar on the way behind as Donnelly’s goal was the difference at the interval. 

The visitors began the second half on the front foot as Sloan tried an effort from distance that David Odumosu turned over the bar. 

Sean Graham then weaved his way forward to the edge of the box and saw his low shot parried by Odumosu with Michael Newberry completing the clearance. 

The Inver Reds restored parity in the 52nd minute as Sean Graham pulled the ball across and Tomas Cosgrove turned home at the back post to level. 

Ruaidhri Donnelly opened the scoring for Cliftonville
2Gallery

Ruaidhri Donnelly opened the scoring for Cliftonville

Cliftonville began to up the ante once again but midway through the second half disaster struck when Jonny Addis pushed Andy Ryan in the back and referee Christopher Morrison dismissed the stand-in Reds captain and pointed to the spot. 

Ryan dusted himself down and made no mistake from the spot with a precise spot-kick making it three from the spot in the last seven days to make it 2-1. 

Tiernan Lynch’s men sealed all three points with 20 minutes remaining. Sean Graham claimed his second assist of the evening with a dinked ball that substitute Paul O’Neill nodded home. 

The champions wouldn’t add to their advantage in the closing stages and saw the game out with relative ease to make it seven league games without defeat against Cliftonville.  

CLIFTONVILLE: Odumosu, Newberry, Addis, Leppard, Kearney, Lowe (Hale 16’), Doherty, Piesold (Pettifer 78’), Glynn, Donnelly (Markey 78’), Curran (Steven 42’). 

LARNE: Ferguson, Cosgrove, Want, Todd (Donnelly 82’), Nolan, Ives (Thomson 82’), Gallagher, Graham, Sloan (McEneff 64’), Lusty (O’Neill 64’), Ryan (Magee 89’). 

REFEREE: Christopher Morrison