Match Centre

Premiership
Tuesday 23 August 2022 (kick off: 7.45 PM)

Venue: Ballymena Showgrounds

Attendance: 1670

Referee: Andrew Davey

Ballymena United home-team
1 FT 2
away-team Cliftonville
  •   Jack Henderson 36'
  •   Ryan Curran 18'
  •   Luke Turner 68'
football
Luke Turner (second right) celebrates his winner at The Showgrounds ©David Hunter

CURRAN AND TURNER ON TARGET FOR REDS

A goal in each half helped Cliftonville defeat Ballymena United at the Showgrounds for the first time in over four years.

Both sides got off to a promising start with half chances created at either end but it fell to the Reds to open the scoring when, on 18 minutes, Ryan Curran sent a back heel finish past Sean O'Neill after Luke Turner had rolled the ball across from the left.

Ronan and Rory Hale both looked to extend Cliftonville's advantage but alert defending and a good save kept them out.

Ballymena levelled on 36 minutes through Jack Henderson who bagged his first goal for the club with a sweetly executed left-foot finish after running onto a partially cleared ball to beat Nathan Gartside.

Cliftonville had the better chances after the break with Rory Hale testing O'Neill with a header while Ronan Hale saw a curling effort tipped over before Ryan Curran fired wide from a good position.

It was perhaps no surprise, then, when the visitors restored their lead courtesy of Turner's 12-yard finish from a Kris Lowe cross.

The Sky Blues might have levelled again soon after but Jordan Gibson was unable to get a strong enough finish to his lob after being played through by David McDaid.

Ballymena United: O'Neill, Nelson, Whiteside, McDaid, Kelly, McElroy, McCullough, Henderson, Gibson, Keeley, Place subs Williamson (not used), Redman (not used), Kane (replaced Place 85), McGrory (replaced Keeley 46), Parkhouse (replaced McElroy 75), Graham (not used), Tipton (not used)

Cliftonville: Gartside, Addis, Gallagher, Rory Hale, R. Curran, Lowe, Doherty, Turner, Ronan Hale, Coates, Mallon subs Talley (not used), C. Curran (not used), McDonagh (replaced Mallon 53), Robinson (not used), Gormley (replaced Rory Hale 76), Casey (replaced Ronan Hale 85), Moore (not used)

  • FULL TIME
    Ballymena United   1 - 2 Cliftonville
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Mikey Place

    Ballymena United

    85'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Kenneth Kane

    Moyola Park

    85'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Ronan Hale

    Players

    85'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Odhran Casey

    Cliftonville

    85'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Rory Hale

    Cliftonville

    76'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Joe Gormley

    Cliftonville

    76'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Paul McElroy

    Portadown

    75'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    David Parkhouse

    H&W Welders

    75'
  • GOAL

    Luke Turner

    Players

    68'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Stephen Mallon

    Players

    53'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Jamie McDonagh

    Portadown

    53'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Conor Keeley

    Players

    46'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Andrew McGrory

    Ballymacash Rangers

    46'
  • GOAL

    Jack Henderson

    Portadown

    36'
  • GOAL

    Ryan Curran

    Cliftonville

    18'

Ballymena United

  • Sean O'Neill
  • Kym Nelson
  • Scot Whiteside
  • David McDaid
  • Joshua Kelly
  • Paul McElroy red substitution 75'
  • Steven McCullough
  • Jack Henderson 36'
  • Jordan Gibson
  • Conor Keeley red substitution 46'
  • Mikey Place red substitution 85'

Substitutes

  • Jordan Williamson
  • Ross Redman
  • Kenneth Kane green substitution 85'
  • Andrew McGrory green substitution 46'
  • David Parkhouse green substitution 75'
  • Sean Graham
  • George Tipton

Cliftonville

  • Nathan Gartside
  • Jonathan Addis
  • Chris Gallagher
  • Rory Hale red substitution 76'
  • Ryan Curran 18'
  • Kris Lowe
  • Ronan Doherty
  • Luke Turner 68'
  • Ronan Hale red substitution 85'
  • Colin Coates
  • Stephen Mallon red substitution 53'

Substitutes

  • Fynn Talley
  • Chris Curran
  • Jamie McDonagh green substitution 53'
  • Jamie Robinson
  • Joe Gormley green substitution 76'
  • Odhran Casey green substitution 85'
  • Sean Moore
© Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Ballymena United

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Cliftonville

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