NIFL Premiership
Cliftonville 0
Glentoran 4
At Solitude
FOUR second half goals condemned Cliftonville to a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Glentoran at Solitude on Tuesday evening.
Pat Hoban hammered home from the spot after the hour mark and a five-minute double from substitute Jordan Stewart had the Glens in cruise control with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Just before the conclusion Hoban doubled his tally to ensure that the Glens cut the gap on league leaders Larne, who were held to a draw at home to champions and fellow challengers Linfield.
Reds boss Jim Magilton acknowledged it was a difficult evening for his side, and was disappointed as he felt many of his players didn’t want to get on the ball.
“I was really disappointed with the way we played in the first half, even though we were going in at 0-0, even though we created a great chance," he said. “Ryan’s was a great set piece, a good header – anywhere else other than there and it is a goal and we’d have been fortunate to go in 1-0 up, and I thought we were fortunate to go in at 0-0.
“We kept giving the ball away, and what was more disappointing for me is that we’d too many people that didn’t want to actually get on the ball and that was a worry given what happened on Saturday."
Jordan Stewart celebrates the Glens fourth strike
Magilton made four changes from their derby victory over Crusaders at the weekend. Two were enforced as Josh Kelly was unable to face his parent club and injury ruled out Harry Wilson, while Adam Carroll and Joe Sheridan dropped to the bench.
Into the side came Jonny Addis after a short injury lay-off, Conor Pepper, Liam McStravick and Ryan Curran were also drafted in.
The Glens were first to threaten when Ryan Cooney’s curling effort from 25-yards was pushed away by Lewis Ridd. Marcus Kane needed to be alert to turn Ryan Curran’s low cross behind for a corner in a rare break forward for the hosts.
A short corner routine between Danny Amos and Ross Clarke saw Amos hang a high ball to the backpost where Kamson Kamara glanced over. Amos saw a low shot trickle past the post before his side's best opportunity arrived in the 25th minute.
After returning from a three-game suspension Pat Hoban ran onto a loose ball pass forward and breezed past Shaun Leppard towards goal, only to be met by Jonny Addis and Lewis Ridd with the latter making himself big and denying the Glens talisman.
A foul on Jordan McEneff by Luke Conlon gave McEneff an opportunity, but despite getting his free kick over the wall; he couldn’t keep it down and it flashed over.
Cliftonville carved out two chances either side of the half hour mark, first when Liam McStravick slipped in Brian Healy and his shot was deflected behind for a corner. Then Micheál Glynn whipped in a free kick that Shaun Leppard headed goalwards, though Andrew Mills got down to gather.
The visitors upped the ante again approaching the break, Liam McStravick’s stray pass was seized upon by Amos who drove forward and his shot whistled inches past the post after Ridd got finger tips to it.
Ryan Cooney’s corner was dangerous and as the Reds struggled to clear, a Jonny Addis attempt to avert the pressure ricocheted and hit a Glentoran player, allowing Amos to get a snapshot that Ridd parried and smothered ahead of Hoban on the follow-up as the half ended scoreless.
Glentoran picked up where they left off and should have hit the front when Ross Clarke played a one-two with McEneff and his goalbound shot was turned around the post by Ridd.
Their pressure would pay off just after the hour mark when Joseph Toole was penalised for catching McEneff with a high foot, referee Tim Marshall deemed the contact to have happened inside the area and pointed to the spot.
Pat Hoban took responsibility and despite Ridd guessing correctly, the Galway native powerfully found the corner to make it 1-0. They should have doubled their lead but for Ridd to make a double stop in quick succession, keeping out a McEneff shot and then Clarke’s follow-up.
With twenty minutes to go the second did arrive. Ryan Cooney’s corner was headed goalwards by Kamson Kamara and substitute Jordan Stewart glanced home from close range.
Stewart would double his account and extend the visitors' lead five minutes later. McEneff slipped him in and Stewart produced a fine curling finish from the edge of the box that left Ridd with no chance.
Things got worse for Cliftonville when Pat Hoban doubled his account for the evening, capitalising on a defensive error to stroke home and he may have secured his hat-trick in added time with a cushioned header that Ridd turned over.
Cliftonville were denied a late consolation when Rory Hale’s strike crashed off the underside of the bar, but it would matter little in the end as Glentoran ran out comfortable winners at the conclusion.
CLIFTONVILLE: Ridd, Leppard, Addis, Conlon (Hawthorne 75’), Toole (Robertson 69’), Pepper, Hale, Glynn, McStravick (Sheridan 56’), Curran (Carroll 69’), Healy (Gormley 56’).
GLENTORAN: Mills, Cooney, Kane, Palmer, Hoban, Kamara, Amos (Stewart 56’), O’Rourke, Singleton, Clarke (Daniels 81’), McEneff (Burt 78’).
REFEREE: Tim Marshall
