IRISH PREMIERSHIP
Glenavon 2
Cliftonville 1

CLIFTONVILLE’s slump in form continued on Saturday as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to bottom of the table Glenavon at Mourneview Park. 

Ahead through a Ryan Curran goal midway through the first half, Paul McGovern swept home an equaliser for the hosts and Harry Murphy’s header just after the hour mark ensured the basement club collected all three-points to leave Cliftonville without a win in the league since their mid-December meeting with the Lurgan side at Solitude. 

Reds boss Jim Magilton blasted the "gutless" performance and believes it was one of the worst performances in his time in charge at the club. 

“It was awful. From start to finish, awful!” Magilton blasted. “We scored – which would hopefully settle us down, but we were second best all over the pitch. It wasn’t acceptable, it wasn't good enough. 

“I thought we were really poor today and it’s an apology to our fans. They come in their droves and it was a gutless performance."

He added: “I hated it. It’s probably the worst performance under my stewardship at this club. Some of them think it is easy to put that shirt on – not a chance, we have to make changes." 

Magilton made four changes to the side that were defeated by Carrick Rangers in the County Antrim Shield Final on their last outing. 

Peter Morrison dropped out through injury, Joseph Toole made way as well as Joe Gormley and Adebayo Fapetu dropping to the bench. 

Lewis Ridd came in to replace Morrison in goals, while Reece Jordan, Sean Robertson and Brian Healy all returned to the starting XI. 

Both sides forced chances within the opening minutes, Sean Carlin was robbed of possession by Ryan Curran who delayed his pass into the box and the hosts cleared at the expense of a corner. 

At the other end Peter Campbell’s corner was headed wide at the back post by Harry Murphy and from the subsequent goalkick, a loose pass from defence was intercepted by on-loan Nathaniel Ferris, he found Campbell whose shot was parried by Lewis Ridd. 

Harry Murphy was forced to divert a Sean Robertson cross behind for a corner that was cleared as Stephen Mallon raced through for the Lurgan Blues and Reece Jordan got a close-range block. 

The opener arrived midway through the first half at Mourneview Park and fell to Cliftonville. Rory Hale’s free-kick wasn’t dealt with and Charlie Lindsay’s attempted headed clearance fell to Ryan Curran who chested it down and tucked a low shot past Jacob Carney to make it 1-0. 

Lindsay fired wide at the back post in response before Michael O’Connor’s side drew level in the 28th minute. Niall Quinn’s pass up the channel released Peter Campbell and his cut-back was swept home by Paul McGovern to make it 1-1. 

Cliftonville almost restored the lead on the half hour mark but Carney pushed Brian Healy’s shot behind from a dangerous Robertson cross. 

The visitors piled on the pressure in the remaining quarter of an hour. Rory Hale’s corner was cleared as far as Brian Healy and he clipped the ball towards Kelly who glanced wide. Robertson then ran onto a crossfield Curran pass and flashed a shot past the far post. Kelly had another header behind from Hale’s corner and substitute Liam McStravick’s close range header from Robertson’s cross was held by Carney as it remained level at the interval. 

Cliftonville appeared to have picked up where they left off before the break when Shaun Leppard’s long ball picked out Brian Healy and his lob drifted the other side of the post. Rory Hale then supplied a cross that Curran headed at Jacob Carney. 

Nathaniel Ferris headed off target from Peter Campbell’s cross and Glenavon had the chance to hit the front in the 53rd minute when Harry Wilson felled Peter Campbell and referee Michael McKenna pointed to the spot. Ferris took responsibility but his spot kick was kept out by the foot of Lewis Ridd. 

Ridd made a fantastic save to keep out a Peter Campbell snapshot a minute past the hour mark and from the resulting corner the hosts forged ahead when Harry Murphy glanced home from Campbell’s delivery. 

Jim Magilton’s side struggled for creativity thereafter. Their most promising opening came in the dying embers when Michaél Glynn picked out Liam McStravick and he ballooned a shot over the bar from inside the area as Glenavon held out for massive 2-1 win to pile further misery on the Reds.  

GLENAVON: Carney, McMullan, Burns, Murphy, Campbell, Mallon (Gilmore 66’), Ferris (McGerrigan 90+2’), McGovern (McKeown 83’), Lindsay (Mountney 66’), Quinn. 

CLIFTONVILLE: Ridd, Kelly, Addis, Leppard, Jordan, Wilson, Hale (Fapetu 79’), Sheridan (McStravick 40’), Robertson (Glynn 79’), Curran (Gormley 68’), Healy. 

REFEREE: Michael McKenna