SPOILS SHARED AT SOLITUDE
Cliftonville and Larne shared the spoils in a closely fought Saturday evening clash at Solitude.
The sides traded chances during the opening quarter-of-an-hour with Andy Ryan testing keeper Nathan Gartside for the visitors while, at the other end, Sam Ashford and Luke Turner went close for Jim Magilton's side.
Indeed, as the first half progressed, Cliftonville looked the more likely to find a way through with Ben Wilson firing wide at the back post before Odhran Casey lost his footing as he was about to convert a Turner header.
But Cliftonville did grab the advantage on 35 minutes when Wilson fired home a stunning first time finish into the bottom corner from Rory Hale's pass.
However Larne hit back just before the break. They were awarded a penalty following Jonny Addis' foul on Micheal Glynn but Lee Bonis' subsequent spot-kick was initially saved by Gartside before he followed up to blast home the rebound.
Cliftonville continued to enjoy more possession in the second half, albeit without the necessary bite in front of goal.
Wilson did come close to adding a second for the Reds after connecting with Turner's cross to the near post but he found Rohan Ferguson equal to the threat.
And Ferguson was called into action again to thwart debutant Ashford with a full stretch stop to keep a close range header out.
Cliftonville: Gartside, Stewart, Addis, Gallagher, Hale, Lowe, Doherty, Ashford, Casey, Turner, Wilson subs Odumosu, Pepper, Curran, McDonagh, Robinson, McGuinness, Berry
Larne: Ferguson, Donnelly, Farquhar, Thomson, Bonis, Allan, Gordon, Millar, Glynn, Cosgrove, Ryan subs Dowling, Kearns, O'Neill, Westendorf, Maguire, Sloan, McCart
Substitution 
Substitution 
