Match Centre

Premiership
Saturday 4 December 2021 (kick off: 3.00 PM)

Venue: Solitude

Attendance: 1406

Referee: Ross Dunlop

Cliftonville home-team
1 FT 0
away-team Ballymena United
  •   Ryan Curran 68'
football
Cliftonville celebrate Ryan Curran's match winner ©Declan Roughan/INPHO

CURRAN FINISH ENOUGH FOR REDS

League leaders Cliftonville held onto their slender grip at the top courtesy of a narrow defeat of Ballymena United at Solitude.

The visitors enjoyed numerous chances during the scoreless first half with the opening effort coming as early as the second minute when Ryan Waide flashed a shot into the side netting.

Jude Winchester then offered up a half volley soon after only for the ball to go off target before Conor Keeley glanced a Steven McCullough corner just wide, and that was followed by a good stop from keeper Luke McNicholas to deny Kenny Kane.

McNicholas was called into action again midway through the first half to thwart Leroy Millar's shot from Paul McElroy's cross.

The Reds did come into the game more towards the break with Levi Ives firing past the far post from the edge of the box while Johnny Addis' diving header was kept out by Jordan Williamson.

Cliftonville threatened more in the second half. Ryan Curran fired over after an Ives corner bounced around the box with Daniel Kearns skimming the crossbar not long after that from the edge of the area.

The home side broke the deadlock with what proved to be the only goal of the game on 68 minutes when Ryan Curran touched the ball over the line from Chris Curran's left-sided free-kick despite Williamson getting a hand to it.

And Ryan Curran almost added a second ten minutes after that only to strike the woodwork from around 30 yards out.

Cliftonville: McNicholas, Ives, C. Curran, R. Curran, Lowe, Donnelly, Addis, Gormley, Turner, Gallagher, Kearns subs Dunne (not used), McDermott (replaced Donnelly 46), Harney (replaced Kearns 86), O’Neill (replaced Gormley 72), McDonagh (not used), Casey (not used), Coates (not used)

Ballymena United: Williamson, Chapman, Wilson, Winchester, McElroy, Waide, McCullough, Kane, Barr, Keeley, Millar subs Johnston (not used), Redman (replaced Waide 69), Henderson (not used), Bramall (not used), Graham (not used), Smith (replaced Winchester 83), Beattie (not used)

  • FULL TIME
    Cliftonville   1 - 0 Ballymena United
  • Luke McNicholas

    Players

    90'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Daniel Kearns

    H&W Welders

    86'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Jamie Harney

    Players

    86'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Jude Winchester

    Players

    83'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Jonte Smith

    Players

    83'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Joe Gormley

    Cliftonville

    72'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Paul O'Neill

    Larne

    72'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Ryan Waide

    Loughgall

    69'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Ross Redman

    Portadown

    69'
  • GOAL

    Ryan Curran

    Cliftonville

    68'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Aaron Donnelly

    Larne

    46'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Conor McDermott

    Loughgall

    46'

Cliftonville

  • Luke McNicholas
  • Levi Ives
  • Chris Curran
  • Ryan Curran 68'
  • Kris Lowe
  • Aaron Donnelly red substitution 46'
  • Jonathan Addis
  • Joe Gormley red substitution 72'
  • Luke Turner
  • Chris Gallagher
  • Daniel Kearns red substitution 86'

Substitutes

  • Declan Dunne
  • Conor McDermott green substitution 46'
  • Jamie Harney green substitution 86'
  • Paul O'Neill green substitution 72'
  • Jamie McDonagh
  • Odhran Casey
  • Colin Coates

Ballymena United

  • Jordan Williamson
  • Lee Chapman
  • Douglas Wilson
  • Jude Winchester red substitution 83'
  • Paul McElroy
  • Ryan Waide red substitution 69'
  • Steven McCullough
  • Kenneth Kane
  • Brendan Barr
  • Conor Keeley
  • Leroy Millar

Substitutes

  • Sam Johnston
  • Ross Redman green substitution 69'
  • Jack Henderson
  • Daniel Bramall
  • Sean Graham
  • Jonte Smith green substitution 83'
  • Spencer Beattie
© Andrew McCarroll/Pacemaker Press

Cliftonville

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Ballymena United

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