REDS GET JOB DUN

Fortune is on hosts side as Swifts leave Solitude with no rewards

BY

CLIFTONVILLE made the most of their luck to see off a spirited Dungannon Swifts challenge at Solitude yesterday.

It was a disjointed and at times slack display from last year’s Premiership runners-up but two fine finishes and a pair of fortunate deflections saw them get over the line.

The first 20 minutes passed without incident before Reds defender Colin Coates seemed to doze off in the sunshine as his loose pass was seized on by Rhyss Campbell.

The Dungannon winger drove at Jonny Addis and drew a foul right on the edge of the box, with referee Ian McNab deciding it was on the line and awarded a penalty that James Knowles fizzed past ‘keeper Nathan Gartside.

Ben Gallagher’s shanked effort from 10 yards out then bounced straight into Gartside’s arms before a scuffed Rory Hale shot at the other end almost found the net.

Ronan Hale then showed them how it’s done in the 33rd minute to keep up his fine start to the season.

A slick move between his bother Rory and Ronan Doherty led to Kris Lowe clipping a cross into the area from the right. The ball flicked off the in-rushing Rory and Ronan pulled it down with his right foot before firing home a confident finish with his left.

Cliftonville could count themselves very fortunate to go in at the break ahead as Chris Gallagher’s speculative shot from outside the area was deflected past flat-footed keeper Declan Dunne in the final action of the half.

Undeterred, the visitors drew level four minutes after the restart when Joe McCreadie burrowed his way into a yard of space in the box and seized his chance by drilling an excellent low finish across Gartside and into the net.

Two minutes later the Reds’ luck was in once again as Ryan Curran fired a cross into the Dungannon six-yard box and flustered defender Michael Ruddy volleyed past his own keeper.

The visitors still refused to take a backwards step and Cliftonville couldn’t quite seize control until a pair of stalwarts entered the fray and gave their side some breathing space by combining for a brilliant goal in the 72nd minute. Joe Gormley was the creator, dinking a cute past into fellow sub Chris Curran’s path and the Cliftonville club captain weaved one way then the other before thumping a low shot past Dunne to ease the Solitude crowd’s anxiety.

Gormley was then unable to convert a poked effort past Dunne when he just beat the keeper to a ball over the top but a further glossing of the scoreline would have been harsh on Dean Shiels’ enterprising side.