County Antrim Shield - Round of 16
Cliftonville 4
Knockbreda 0
At Solitude

BRACES in each half from Liam McStravick and Joe Gormley saw Cliftonville sweep aside the challenge of Knockbreda with a 4-0 win over the East Belfast outfit in their Toals County Antrim Shield clash at Solitude on Tuesday evening.

McStravick opened the scoring midway through the half and then claimed his second a few minutes after the half hour mark.

Those goals looked like they were going to separate the sides until the latter stages when Joe Gormley helped himself to two goals in the space of five minutes, sealing progression to the last eight draw on an evening that boss Jim Magilton was pleased to have handed a competitive debut to Cillian Murray.

“It was nice that Cillian Murray made his debut. He’s had an outstanding summer,” Magilton acknowledged.

“We just thought it was a really good game, a good opportunity for him to come and play. I thought he was excellent, lots of good things, great maturity in his play, comes alive and makes others come alive – probably unfortunate not to nick a goal, but overall really pleased with him, really pleased that players got minutes."

There were only two survivors from Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Dungannon, Alex Bannon and Liam McStravick retained their place in a much changed XI that included youngsters Matthew Belshaw and Cillian Murray and at the other end of the scale a first start for Joe Gormley this campaign.

Joel Thompson lashed an early sighting over the bar in the opening exchanges, Alex Bannon crossed and Joe Gormley’s header was tame and easily gathered by Owen Sames in the Breda goal.

Sames was again called into action, punching a Cillian Murray cross behind at the expense of a corner, which came to nothing.

The deadlock was broken midway through the first half and fell to Cliftonville. Luke Conlon threaded a neat ball through which Liam McStravick latched onto and he made no mistake in slotting past Sames to make it 1-0.

McStravick would double his and Cliftonville’s tally a few minutes past the half hour mark. Joe Gormley cut the ball back from the byeline and the former Airdrieonian's attacker touched the ball home.

Rather than go for his hat-trick he tried to tee-up Gormley to make it three, though Christopher McAuley hooked the danger behind at the expense of a corner.

Another set-piece was forthcoming and Shaun Leppard rose to meet Keevan Hawthorne's excellent delivery, but powered his headed attempt past the post.

A further Hawthorne corner was glanced towards the backpost and Alex Bannon swept his shot over as McStravick’s double separated the sides at the interval.

The second half was all one-way traffic but the Knockbreda goal led a charmed life until the final ten minutes when Joe Gormley finally opened his account for the season.

The 36-year-old touched home the first in the 82nd minute after the ball was headed across to him at the back post for the simplest of finishes.

Gormley completed the scoring in the 87th from a second Conlon assist of the evening, he took his time and blasted a low shot into the bottom corner to secure a safe and comfortable passage to the last eight.

CLIFTONVILLE: Belshaw, O’Connor, Leppard, Bannon (Wightman 46’), Conlon, Murray (Quinn 74’), Thompson, Sheridan, McStravick (Campbell 56’), Gormley, Hawthorne (healy 61’).

KNOCKBREDA: Sames, Given, Blair, McAuley (Irwin 70’), Blackstock, Francey, Murphy (McMahon 66’), McCandles, McGimpsey (Miskimmin 60’), Brennan (Yankey 70’), Millar-Wilson.

REFEREE: Shane Andrews