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Cliftonville 4-1 Glentoran

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 22:11

 

Cliftonville stretched their lead at the top of the table after this comfortable win at a rain lashed Solitude.  The home side made the better start and both Joe Gormley and Ryan Catney had good chances to score after being set up by Liam Boyce.  There was a blow to the Glens’ hopes when they were forced into a reshuffle after just twelve minutes.  Centre back Calum Birney retired injured being replaced by Stephen McAlorum who slotted into midfield with Jimmy Callacher moving to centre back.  However the break for the substitution seemed to affect the home side more as just a minute later the Glens took the lead with their first chance of the game.  Andy Waterworth made a strong run down the right and sent in a low cross which was only partially cleared by the Cliftonville defence.  The ball fell nicely for Stephen Carson who dispatched it high into the net with some aplomb.   Manager Eddie Patterson was forced into yet another change after twenty seven minutes when Richard Clarke, who had been doubtful before the game, went off injured to be replaced by John McGuigan.  On the half hour mark Carson almost made it 2-0 when he was found by McAlorum twenty yards out but his stinging drive clipped the top of the cross bar.  However two minutes before the break Carson was to turn from hero to villain.    His miscued clearance in his own box after a Cliftonville cross from the right fell to George McMullan and the Reds’ captain hit a first time volley low into the corner giving Elliott Morris no chance.

Cliftonville gained the early momentum after the break, taking the lead just four minutes into the second half.  Martin Donnelly’s free kick to the far post should have been dealt with by the Glens’ defence but McMullan was left unmarked to head the ball back across Morris and into the bottom corner.  The home side were now in the ascendancy with Gormley going close and Boyce denied by a fantastic last ditch tackle from Callacher.  The Glens only real chance of the half came on fifty nine minutes when Waterworth tuned his marker in the Cliftonville box and his low shot cannoned back off the post.  The killer blow from the Reds came with ten minutes left.  Boyce got the better of Jay Magee to run clear on goal, taking the ball round Morris and slotting home from a tight angle.  On ninety minutes it should have been four for the Reds when Stephen Garrett broke down the right but failed to find Diarmiud O’Carroll unmarked in front of goal with what looked like an easy pass.  However Garrett made up for his error in the dying seconds of stoppage time, his low cross from the left carrying all the way across to substitute Tomas Cosgrove who finished low into the net to rub salt in the Glentoran wounds.

 

Glentoran

Elliott Morris, Sean Ward, Jay Magee, Calum Birney (sub Stephen McAlorum 12 mins), Jason Hill, Richard Clarke (sub John McGuigan 27 mins), Jimmy Callacher, Mark Clarke, Stephen Carson (sub Carl McComb 73 mins), Marcus Kane, Andy Waterworth