NIFL Premiership
Cliftonville 2–0 Carrick Rangers
GOALS from Paul O’Neill and Ryan Curran ensured that Cliftonville returned to the top of the table with a 2-0 win over Carrick Rangers at Solitude on Saturday afternoon.
O’Neill dinked the opener just after the quarter hour mark and Ryan Curran fired home the second before the break to ensure it is a straightforward afternoon for Paddy McLaughlin’s side.
The Reds boss felt Carrick were well organised and despite being 2-0 up in the first half, wasn’t convinced their performance was as good as their second half showing.
“We know how well-organised and how hard-working that Carrick are. It was very similar to the first game of the season here,” reflected McLaughlin.
“It was frustrating at times and to think sometimes we went with passes that maybe weren’t on, we got ourselves frustrated with the set-up of Carrick, but you’ve got to deal with that.
“You keep moving the ball and when we moved the ball a lot quicker, I thought we were a lot better for it. 2-0 up at half-time.
“I don’t think we were anywhere at our best in the first half even though we were winning 2-0. In the second half, we moved the ball a lot quicker and we were a lot better for it without scoring.
“Games are like that at times. It can be free-flowing football sometimes and sometimes you just have to grind it out. It looked like that’s what it was today against a hard-working Carrick team.”
Paul O'Neill is congratulated
McLaughlin made one change to the squad from Tuesday evening’s win over Ballymena United and that came on the bench as Rory Hale returned to the squad for the first time since the end of October.
Cliftonville attempted to threaten first when Jonny Addis aimed a high ball into the path of Joe Gormley whose shot was held by Carrick goalkeeper Matthew Skeet.
The hosts did make the breakthrough after 17 minutes when Levi Ives played an inch-perfect pass to Paul O’Neill and the striker lifted it over the advancing Skeet and into the net to make it 1-0 and claim his second league goal of the season.
Joe Gormley headed off target from Conor McDermott’s cross and a few minutes after went closer still from McDonagh’s right-wing delivery.
It was one-way traffic and Chris Curran was the next to try and bring Gormley into play, but he was muscled away from a promising position.
Rangers’ first half-chance arrived a few minutes before the break as Emmet McGuckin tried to find the run of David Cushley, but Luke McNicholas got to the loose ball first.
Just before the interval, Cliftonville doubled their lead. Jamie McDonagh picked out Conor McDermott with a high ball and the right-back hooked it across to Ryan Curran and he slammed it home for his 15th goal of the campaign to make it 2-0 at the break.
Joe Gormley should have extended the lead after the restart. Picking the ball up in the wide position, Gormley showed nice footwork to jink inside but he pulled his shot into the side netting.
Levi Ives closes in on goal
At the other end, Alex Gawne had a sighting on goal, but he flashed it over Luke McNicholas’ crossbar.
David Cushley turned a dangerous Levi Ives cross behind at the expense of a corner after the hour-mark and Ives fizzed another low ball across the face of goal which was diverted by Skeet and helped behind by Ben Tilney, although the corner came to nothing.
Carrick almost had a lifeline with a quarter of an hour remaining, but Lloyd Anderson dragged a low shot wide from Tilney’s layoff.
Substitute Daniel Kearns squandered an opportunity late on and Paul O’Neill was just too late to connect to Ives cross.
It mattered little in the end, however, as the Cliftonville saw out to game to return to the league summit.
CLIFTONVILLE: McNicholas, McDermott (Doherty 75), Addis, Turner, Ives, Lowe (Donnelly 88), C Curran, McDonagh (Hale 90+1), R Curran, O’Neill, Gormley (Kearns 75’).
CARRICK RANGERS: Skeet, Forsythe, Ervin (Hoy 87), Cushley (Kalla 83), McGuckin, Kelly, Gawne (Kelly 83), Cherry (Quinn 87), Gibson, Tilney, Anderson (McGimpsey 87).
REFEREE: Christopher Morrison
