NIFL Premiership
Dungannon Swifts 3
Cliftonville 2
CLIFTONVILLE’S hopes of claiming a top six finish took another set back on Friday evening when they suffered a late 3-2 defeat to fifth placed Dungannon Swifts at Stangmore Park.
After falling behind to a stunning Steven Scott strike, a goal either side of the break from Joe Gormley and Brian Healy had the visitors ahead.
The Swifts restored parity through a Cathal McGinty header and then regained the lead when Shaun Leppard chopped down Leo Alves, with Adam Glenny netting from the spot to secure all three points for his side much to the frustration of Reds boss Jim Magilton.
“It got away from us in the end,” Magilton reflected. “At 2-1, we scored two fantastic goals. Joe’s great goal; an individual finish and Brian Healy’s is a wonderful goal – wonderful strike – then we have another opportunity with Joe, and Declan Dunne makes a great save, and then it’s just really poor after that.
“A poor goal and a poor set piece goal. There are two things in that: the goalkeeper has to come and claim it. I think he has to be stronger and braver and then it goes in. It's still a really poor goal.
“At 2-1, I think we were in the ascendancy. I thought that we had opportunities to go on and capitalise on that but we were still too loose on the ball. We turned the ball over when it really mattered most.
“Then the last one we’re all over the place in terms of the counter attack. It is a lazy tackle from Shaun [Leppard], he stuck the foot out and it’s a penalty kick and calmly tucked away."
Off the back of their midweek victory against Bangor, Magilton made four changes to his starting XI. There were starts for Callum McCay, Josh Kelly, Joe Sheridan and Brian Healy as Rory Hale, Conor Pepper, Adam Carroll and Liam McStravick all dropped to the bench.
Dungannon made the brighter opening with Tiernan Kelly glancing over the bar from Corey Smith’s cross and Reds keeper Ridd then smothering a low Kelly drive.
Adam Glenny's penalty saw Swifts edge the victory
A low Kobei Moore shot whistled inches wide before the Swifts made the breakthrough in the 17th minute.
Adam Glenny burst down the channel and popped a pass inside to Corey Smith, he teed up Steven Scott to pick his spot past Ridd from distance and make it 1-0.
Rodney McAree's side could have doubled their lead when Paul Doyle cut out Jonny Addis’ attempted pass and curling effort wasn’t far from finding the top corner.
A Kobei Moore shot was blocked down by Addis and Sean McAllister then reacted quickest from a corner that was partially cleared but his attempt was deflected behind for a further corner that came to nothing.
It was largely one-way traffic in the opening half but just before the break Cliftonville hit back against the run of play. Brian Healy lifted a fine pass over the top that strike partner Joe Gormley controlled and picked his spot low in the bottom left hand corner past Declan Dunne to restore parity at the interval.
Cliftonville hit the front after the hour mark. Leo Alves’ corner was flicked away and Joe Sheridan’s long pass forward released Healy on half way, the striker skipped past the challenge of Steven Scott and produced a magnificent low finish past Dunne to make it 2-1.
There were half chances to extend their lead when Gormley shot over from Sheridan’s pass and then the scorer of his sides first was denied by Dunne with a low attempt that was parried behind for a corner.
With little over a quarter of an hour remaining Dungannon hit back. Leo Alves' high free kick from the right dropped at the back post and Cahal McGinty was there to head past Ridd and Shaun Leppard on the line.
It looked to have salvaged his side a share of the spoils though they would have the opportunity to take all three when Shaun Leppard stuck out a leg and tripped Leo Alves in the area in the 89th minute and referee Louise Thompson pointed to the spot. Adam Glenny took responsibility and with a short run up he sent Ridd the wrong way to make it 3-2.
Jim Magilton’s side were unable to hit back in the five added minutes and fell further behind the Swifts who moved nine-points clear of the Reds, who have three games in hand, to try and cement a place in the top-six and a place in the European Play-Offs at the end of the season.
DUNGANNON SWIFTS: Dunne, Scott, Kelly, McGinty (Mitchell 81’), Glenny, Doyle (Marron 81’), Wallace, Moore, Bigirimana, Smith (Alves 59’), McAllister (Dillon 81’).
CLIFTONVILLE: Ridd, Addis (Hale 46’), Leppard, McClelland, Toole, Kelly, McCay (McStravick 75’), Sheridan (Pepper 82’), Glynn (Hawthorne 65’), Healy, Gormley (Curran 75’).
REFEREE: Louise Thompson
