Soccer: Reds slump to sixth defeat on the bounce after late Portadown winner

NIFL Premiership
Cliftonville 1
Portadown 2
At Solitude

CLIFTONVILLE suffered their sixth league defeat on the bounce as they failed to make the most of their dominance in a late 2-1 defeat to Portadown at Solitude on Saturday evening.

Falling behind to a Ben Kennedy goal on the half hour mark the Reds levelled through Brian Healy early in the second period.

It was a frustrating evening in which the Solitude side failed to take advantage of several promising opportunities and they paid the price late on as Jack Scott powered home a header from James Teelan’s cross to condemn the hosts to their sixth league defeat in-a-row.

Reds boss Jim Magilton felt the game summed up their season and rued their lack of quality in the final third.

“It was as sore as it gets,” Magilton reflected. “A game we completely dominated from start to finish. That game sums our season up, complete naivety at a set-piece and the end, again, one of our senior players gives the ball away, then we have to defend a cross and we don’t defend a cross well enough.

“In between that, it was total domination. Real good play, in the final third we lacked quality – we can’t get away from that. We got into the final third so many times and didn’t pick out the right pass or the right cross. Those are the moments and kind of a way sums up our season."

Magilton made two changes from their midweek County Antrim Shield victory over Glentoran.

Aaron Wightman replaced Kyle McClelland in the defence and Dean McMaster picked up a knock during the warm-up with Joe Sheridan coming in to take his place in the midfield.

Both sides had half chances in the opening ten minutes from set-pieces. Ben Quinn curled a free-kick a few inches wide of the target and at the other end a trip on Ben Kennedy gave the former Ballymena and Crusaders attacker an opportunity that he got through the wall but not past PJ Morrison in goal.

Quinn lifted another free kick over the target and there was a double chance sixty seconds later when a low pass into the box found Hale whose close range shot was blocked and Liam McStravick scooped a follow-up attempt over.

A Liam McStravick shot was deflected past the post for a corner as the hosts pressed for the opener, though when the deadlock was broken it came at the other end.

On the half hour mark the Ports hit the front, James Teelan’s corner from the left was half cleared by Rory Hale, Teelan floated a cross in that dropped for Michael Hewitt whose shot came off the post and Ben Kennedy was alert to poke home and give his side the lead.

Ollie Samuels flashed a dangerous shot across the face of goal and behind as the Reds sought a response before the break.

Their best chance came on 41 minutes when a corner was half cleared and fell to Rory Hale at the edge of the box with his hooked attempt helped over the bar by Baris Altintop.

Aaron McCarey then produced an excellent save when former team-mate Quinn headed an Alex Bannon deep cross as Kennedy’s goal proved the difference at the interval.

Cliftonville continued to threaten after the restart, Liam McStravick sent in a teasing cross and Lee Chapman turned the ball behind at the expense of a corner, which came to nothing.

An angled Ben Quinn cross got a slight touch on the way through by Shaun Leppard, but Aaron McCarey held on.

The pressure told and the Reds restored parity in the 54th minute. The visitors failed to deal with Rory Hale’s corner from the left and Brian Healy touched home from close to score his third of the season, all of which have come against the Mid-Ulster club.

The Ports attempted to gain a foothold again as James Teelan’s snapshot tailed off target and a floated cross landed at the front post to Ben Kennedy whose close range attempt dropped into the grateful hands of PJ Morrison.

Ollie Samuels wound up a shot that Divin Isamala blocked from heading towards the target and substitute Luke Conlon fired wide from Joe Sheridan’s slipped pass.

Cliftonville would have to see the game out with 10-men as substitute Joe Gormley departed after picking up an injury, with Jim Magilton using all of his allotted substitute windows.

David Jeffrey’s side made the most of their numerical advantage and sealed a late win in the 92nd minute.

Jack Scott’s pass released Michael Hewitt, but PJ Morrison parried his shot, the Ports recycled play and James Teelan played in a pinpoint cross that Scott rose to glance in at the near post and spark scenes of jubilation.

Victory was almost a carbon copy of the Ports win in North Belfast over a year ago and brings the Shamrock Park side to within two points off Cliftonville at the bottom half of the table.

CLIFTONVILLE: Morrison, Samuels (Conlon 80’), Leppard, Bannon, Wightman, Wilson, Hale, Sheridan, Quinn (Hawthorne 86’), Healy, McStravick (Gormley 76’).

PORTADOWN: McCarey, Isamala, Carson, Altintop, Chapman (Scott 86’), King (Fyfe 68’), Teelan, Hewitt, Thompson, Kennedy (Falls 86’), Flanagan (Towe 76’).

REFEREE:Ian McNabb