BLUES BACK ON TOP
Linfield moved back to the top of the table courtesy of a Friday night defeat of Loughgall at Lakeview Park.
Two goals around the quarter-of-an-hour mark saw Linfield take a strong hold on proceedings early in the game.
Joel Cooper broke the deadlock on 15 minutes when, from a short corner, he curled the ball beyond keeper Nathan Gartside from wide of the right into the corner of the net.
Then, sixty seconds after that, Kirk Millar doubled up for the Blues from the edge of the six yard box following a sweeping team move.
Loughgall responded positively to this double blow, however, and might have pulled a goal back later in the first half only for Jay Boyd to head narrowly over from Caolan McAleer's cross from the left.
However the Villagers were thrown a lifeline midway through the second half after Nathaniel Ferris was fouled by Ethan McGee as he attempted to connect with Jamie Rea's cross into the area with Ferris duly stepping up to confidently send the subsequent spot-kick straight down the middle.
But Linfield substitute Charlie Allen made sure of the points for David Healy's side after doing superbly well to cut in from the left and firing across goal into the opposite corner.
Loughgall: Gartside, Rea, Murdock, Kelly, McAleer, Norton, Gibson, Cartwright, Balde, Francis, Boyd subs Turker, Waide, Ferris, Hoey, Kerr, Towe, McCloskey
Linfield: Johns, East, Whiteside, Shields, Millar, McClean, Cooper, Archer, McGee, Fitzpatrick, Orr subs Walsh, Allen, Ballantyne, Mulgrew, McCullough, Watson, Farr
Substitution 
Substitution 
