Monday monthly: March

With just a few hours until Cliftonville’s latest pre-season friendly ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, cliftonvillefc.net continues a weekly mini-series reflecting on the good, the bad and the in-betweens of last term.

Every Monday between now and the new Danske Bank Premiership programme kicking off, we’re taking a chronological look back on a month from 2020/21 – with a mixed March in the spotlight today.

Things kicked off with a midweek trip to face Ballymena United as an at-times relentless schedule showed no signs of letting up.

Having endured weeks of inexplicable non-awards of clear penalties, the Reds were finally presented with an opportunity from the spot when Daire O’Connor was fouled by goalkeeper Ross Glendinning with just 15 minutes left on the clock.

Ryan Curran stepped up to convert but the hosts hit back late on courtesy of a superb Shay McCartan blast and, though disappointed to take just a draw from a winning position, the point would prove a vital one in the close-fought battle for remaining top-six places in the Danske Bank Premiership.

Paddy McLaughlin’s men were on the road again a few days later but failed to get into any sort of rhythm against Linfield at Windsor Park, where Shayne Lavery netted twice in the last 18 minutes to earn the Blues a deserved win – though things could have been so much different were it not for the last-gasp challenge that saw Mark Stafford deny Barry Coffey what looked like a certain equaliser.

Cliftonville would then enjoy a rare midweek without a fixture and raced out of the traps in the subsequent Solitude showdown with Glenavon, with a swirling Aaron Donnelly opener and close-range header from Curran secured a 2-0 advantage at the break.

The Lurgan Blues pulled a goal back through a clearly-offside Peter Campbell nine minutes after the turnaround but, despite finding themselves under long spells of pressure, the home side held on for a key win.

A goalless draw at Larne – Cliftonville’s only such result of the entire Premiership season – followed ahead of a 2-1 win over Coleraine at Solitude.

Jamie Harney’s bullet header broke the deadlock just before half-time and O’Neill squeezed an attempt over the line ahead of the Bannsiders reducing the arrears courtesy of Ben Doherty’s 67th minute penalty but any momentum the away side had in an attempt to turn things around were dealt a blow when Eoin Bradley was sent off following a series of persistent fouls.

Having won both their home games and pocketed points from tricky away trips to the Ballymena Showgrounds and Inver Park, Cliftonville approached April and an away day with Warrenpoint Town in encouraging shape…

March 2021
Ballymena United 1-1 Cliftonville
R Curran

Linfield 2-0 Cliftonville

Cliftonville 2-1 Glenavon
Donnelly, R Curran

Larne 0-0 Cliftonville

Cliftonville 2-1 Coleraine
Harney, O’Neill