Match Centre

Premiership
Friday 4 October 2019 (kick off: 7.45 PM)

Venue: Seaview

Attendance: 2736

Referee: Arnold Hunter

Crusaders home-team
1 FT 0
away-team Linfield
  •   Rory Hale 49'
football
Rory Hale (centre) celebrates scoring the winner for Crusaders ©INPHO/Stephen Hamilton

HALE STRIKE HANDS CRUES IMPORTANT WIN

A Rory Hale strike early in the second half handed Crusaders a crucial victory over Linfield in the live Friday night game on BBC NI.

It took around 20 minutes for either side to create the first effort of note when Joel Cooper headed Kirk Millar's cross just wide.

Then, just after the half-hour mark, Crusaders defender Chris Hegarty tested Linfield keeper Rohan Ferguson with a header while, a few minutes after that, Billy Joe Burns fired into the side netting from a tight angle on the left.

Linfield then had a chance when a Stephen Fallon cross from the left evaded both the Crues defence and caught Millar somewhat unaware when it looked like the simplest of contact would have touched it over the line.

However, the deadlock was broken just three minutes into the second half when Rory Hale unleashed a tremendous strike into the top right corner from around 23 yards to fire the Crues in front.

Stephen Baxter's side had chances to extend their advantage soon after with Ross Clarke's low cross just going behind Owens while Blues keeper Ferguson was then called into action to save with his feet.

Philip Lowry then went close with an ambitious 45-yard effort which went just over as Linfield struggled to create much up front.

They did come close deep into added time through substitute Daniel Reynolds but his effort from the edge of the box failed to trouble Gerard Doherty.

Crusaders: Doherty, Burns, Hegarty, Beverland, Lowry, Hale, Caddell, Forsythe, J. Owens, Clarke, Heatley subs O'Neill (not used), Ward (not used), McGonigle (not used), Cushley (not used), Ruddy (replaced Clarke 90+5), Thompson (replaced Hale 68), McElroy (replaced Heatley 89)

Linfield: Ferguson, Stafford, Callacher, Cooper, Millar, Lavery, Clarke, Fallon, Hery, Mulgrew, Quinn subs Deane (not used), Larkin (not used), Waterworth (replaced Clarke 75), Shevlin (replaced Hery 83), McGivern (not used), Mitchell (not used), Reynolds (replaced Cooper 88)

  • FULL TIME
    Crusaders   1 - 0 Linfield
  •  Yellow Card

    Gerard Doherty

    Players

    90+6'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Ross Clarke

    Crusaders

    90+5'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Michael Ruddy

    Ards

    90+5'
  •  Yellow Card

    Shayne Lavery

    Players

    90+4'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Paul Heatley

    Carrick Rangers

    89'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Paul McElroy

    Portadown

    89'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Joel Cooper

    Linfield

    88'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Daniel Reynolds

    Players

    88'
  •  Yellow Card

    Declan Caddell

    Players

    87'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Bastien Hery

    Players

    84'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Matthew Shevlin

    Coleraine

    84'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Matthew Clarke

    Players

    75'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Andrew Waterworth

    Players

    75'
  •  Yellow Card

    Paul Heatley

    Carrick Rangers

    74'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Rory Hale

    Cliftonville

    68'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Gary Thompson

    Portadown

    68'
  •  Yellow Card

    Mark Stafford

    Players

    63'
  • GOAL

    Rory Hale

    Cliftonville

    49'
  •  Yellow Card

    Niall Quinn

    Glenavon

    36'
  •  Yellow Card

    Ross Clarke

    Crusaders

    32'
  •  Yellow Card

    Chris Hegarty

    Players

    28'
  •  Yellow Card

    Jordan Owens

    Crusaders

    17'

Crusaders

  • Gerard Doherty 90+6'
  • Billy Joe Burns
  • Chris Hegarty 28'
  • Howard Beverland
  • Philip Lowry
  • Rory Hale red substitution 68' 49'
  • Declan Caddell 87'
  • Jordan Forsythe
  • Jordan Owens 17'
  • Paul Heatley 74' red substitution 89'
  • Ross Clarke 32' red substitution 90+5'

Substitutes

  • Sean O'Neill
  • Sean Ward
  • Jamie McGonigle
  • David Cushley
  • Michael Ruddy green substitution 90+5'
  • Gary Thompson green substitution 68'
  • Paul McElroy green substitution 89'

Linfield

  • Rohan Ferguson
  • Mark Stafford 63'
  • Jimmy Callacher
  • Joel Cooper red substitution 88'
  • Kirk Millar
  • Shayne Lavery 90+4'
  • Matthew Clarke red substitution 75'
  • Stephen Fallon
  • Bastien Hery red substitution 84'
  • Jamie Mulgrew
  • Niall Quinn 36'

Substitutes

  • Gareth Deane
  • Ross Larkin
  • Andrew Waterworth green substitution 75'
  • Matthew Shevlin green substitution 84'
  • Ryan McGivern
  • Andy Mitchell
  • Daniel Reynolds green substitution 88'

Crusaders

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Linfield

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