NIFL Premiership

Cliftonville 3-3 Crusaders 

CLIFTONVILLE and Crusaders played out a thrilling draw at Solitude on Saturday to deny Reds’ interim boss Declan O’Hara was denied his first victory since occupying the role.

Paul Heatley popped up with an injury-time equaliser to ensure the North Belfast derby would finish honours even for the third time this season. 

Heatley had given Crusaders the lead after 37 seconds of a flat first half and the majority of the action came within a 10-minute spell at the beginning of the second period. 

Rory Hale stabbed home an equaliser and younger sibling Ronan gave their side the lead only for Jarlath O’Rourke to level within 60 seconds. 

It looked as though a fantastic Joe Gormley strike before the hour mark would see the Reds claim all three points, but Heatley fired into the empty net in injury time to salvage a 3-3 draw. 

Speaking for the first time since being named interm boss, O’Hara felt his side's response to going behind was excellent and praised the players for their reaction at the end of a tough week. 

“The last thing I said was let’s get a clean sheet and after 34 seconds we’re getting beat 1-0 and I’m thinking what’s going on,” joked O’Hara. 

“It happens. It was a good ball in and Heatley makes a good run across, somebody should be picking him up and he flicks it in at the back post and it’s a goal and we’re 1-0 down. Credit to our boys, they were excellent. 

“We got in at half-time and came out and just turned it on. I thought we were excellent from the goal. 

“We took a hit early on; I’ve seen us fold before, and we didn’t today. I said to the players all week: ‘Just go and play and go and enjoy yourselves’, and to me, I thought they did enjoy themselves. Yes, it was a kick in the teeth to concede with two minutes left, but I’m so proud of those boys. It was a tough week for us all, but to get the reaction that we did- fair play to them.”

Cliftonville boss O’Hara made five changes from the side that was beaten 3-0 in Paddy McLaughlin’s final game in charge. 

Nathan Gartside returned in goal, Kris Lowe came back in after an injury lay-off and there were also starts for Colin Coates, Sean Moore, and Joe Gormley. 

Things couldn’t have started much worse for O’Hara as Crusaders took the lead within 37 seconds. 

Jarlath O’Rourke played a short throw to Jude Winchester and upon taking the return, crossed for Paul Heatley whose flicked header beat Gartside and went in off the post to make it 1-0. 

Just before the quarter-hour mark, Chris Curran saw his low snapshot deflected and Jonny Tuffey cleared it to partial safety, Ronan Hale would hook the follow-up wide. 

Joe Gormley then lifted an angled lob over the bar and Heatley missed the chance to double his and Crusaders’ advantage, dragging his shot wide after latching onto a pass over the top. 

Crusaders again went close to doubling their advantage on the half-hour mark. Ross Clarke’s corner was met by the head of Jordan Owens, but the veteran striker couldn’t keep his header down. 

Colin Coates would try his luck from range before the break, it rose over the top though and at the interval, Heatley’s goal proved the difference. 

Cliftonville started the second half with more purpose as Kris Lowe’s cross was met by Gormley, but his downward header was pushed away by Tuffey. 

Within 60 seconds, the hosts were back on terms. Ronan Hale sprayed a pass to Gormley and his shot across the face of goal looked to drifting wide until Rory Hale guided it home at the back post to make it 1-1. 

Two minutes later and the turnaround was complete at Solitude. Joe Gormley was played through one-on-one with Tuffey. The Crusaders shot-stopper did enough to deny the 33-year-old, but Ronan Hale quickly swooped and fired low past Chris Hegarty on the line to make it 2-1 and score his 29th of the season in the process. 

It was a lead that the rejuvenated Reds would only hold for a mere 60 seconds as Crusaders were quickly back on terms. 

Jarlath O’Rourke headed down a clearance ahead of Chris Curran, poked the ball forward and unleashed a fierce drive from distance that arrowed into the top corner of the net to make it 2-2. 

Cliftonville immediately tried to restore their lead with Tuffey pushing away Chris Curran’s half-volley before Gormley sliced the follow-up wide. Gormley then tried a speculative effort that whistled past the post. 

Just before the hour mark, the hosts regained the lead. Ronan Hale tried to find time and space- though his attempt deflected off Chris Hegarty and fell to Gormley out wide. 

Gormley made an angle for himself and bent a shot high past Tuffey and into the top corner to make it 3-2 and score the fourth goal in the space of 10 minutes. 

With little under a quarter of an hour remaining, the hosts felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Crusaders’ substitute Dean Ebbe clipped the heels of Rory Hale in the area. Referee Evan Boyce was unconvinced, however. 

Declan Caddell skewed an effort over the bar and going into five added minutes it looked as though Cliftonville were heading for three points against their North Belfast rivals. 

Stephen Baxter’s side didn’t give up though and salvaged a point two minutes into added time. 

Jude Winchester dropped a high ball into the area and Nathan Gartside was unconvincing in his attempt to clear. The ball broke and was flicked across the area for Heatley to turn home and make it 3-3. 

Neither side was able to claim the winner in the aftermath as the sides shared the spoils for the third time this season. 

The point keeps Cliftonville in fourth with Crusaders a further point behind in fifth. Should Crusaders fail to win the Irish Cup, the sides could meet in the end-of-season play-offs for Europe 

CLIFTONVILLE: Gartside, Lowe, Coates, Casey, Turner, C Curran (McDonagh 72’), Gallagher, Rory Hale, Moore, Ronan Hale, Gormley (Parkhouse 75’).  

CRUSADERS: Tuffey, Hegarty, Weir (Ebbe 63’), Caddell, O’Rourke, Owens (Lecky 63’), Winchester, Larmour. Heatley, McKeown, Clarke. 

REFEREE: Evan Boyce