FITZPATRICK DOUBLE SETS LINFIELD UP FOR THE WIN
Matthew Fitzpatrick found the net twice as Linfield defeated Coleraine at the Windsor to move eight points clear at the top.
The 30-year-old opened the scoring on 29 minutes with a right-foot effort into the roof of the net after breaking clear to beat Rory Brown at the near post.
The Blues could have doubled their advantage soon after only for Euan East to drag his shot wide while both Fitzpatrick and East had headers denied by Brown just before the break.
Coleraine might have levelled on the hour after Senan Devine sent over a free-kick from the left which Rhyss Campbell nodded on for Kyle McClelland but he couldn't make a strong enough connection as Blues keeper David Walsh managed to make the ball safe.
But Linfield doubled their lead on 72 minutes after Joel Cooper was allowed the space to cut through the Bannsiders defence and guide the ball past Brown into the far corner.
Then, a couple of minutes from time, Fitzpatrick made sure for Linfield with his second of the afternoon after Cameron Ballantyne flicked the ball into his path on the edge of the six yard box.
Linfield: Walsh, Roscoe, East, Shields, Millar, Cooper, Hall, Fallon, Mulgrew, Fitzpatrick, Orr subs Johns, McDaid, Ballantyne, McKee, Archer, McGee, Annett
Coleraine: Brown, Kane, Jarvis, Boyle, Campbell, Spence, McClelland, Harkin, Glackin, Devine, Smith subs Little, Stewart, Scott, Murray, McLaughlin, Tejada, McClintock
Substitution 
Substitution 
