Milestone magic

Dungannon Swifts 1-3 Cliftonville

Joe Gormley marked his 350th Cliftonville appearance by scoring two goals in this afternoon’s comeback win over Dungannon Swifts at Stangmore Park.

After falling behind to Oisin Smyth’s penalty, the Reds levelled when Gormley capitalised on an error from home keeper Alex Moore to acrobatically flick the ball home from close range and then applied the finishing touch after namesakes Chris and Ryan Curran had combined to create an opening early in the second-half.

Both teams went close to adding to the score – none moreso than when Swifts defender Keith Cowan struck his own crossbar with a wayward backpass from 20 yards – before Cliftonville wrapped things up in injury-time when Paul O’Neill dispossessed Moore and teed up Ryan Curran, who stroked home first-time from the edge of the box.

Despite making a bright start to proceedings, the visitors found themselves behind when referee Ross Dunlop adjudged Declan Dunne to have felled Caolan McAleer and Smyth stepped up to convert the subsequent penalty.

The Reds levelled just past the half-hour mark when Jamie McDonagh sent in a cross which Moore failed to deal with and Gormley reacted smartly to hook the ball over his shoulder and into the net.

His next goal was a somewhat more straightforward finish and he applied the simple touch to tap in after Ryan Curran’s pass had presented him with an open net, though Curran himself was off target with a fierce volley soon later.

Rhyss Campbell struck a post as Dungannon went in search of a leveller but they almost found themselves even further behind when Keith Cowan’s wayward backpass dropped onto Moore’s crossbar.

A fine point-blank stop from Dunne then denied Mayse, who also rifled a drive wide from a promising position before the Reds sealed the win when O’Neill dispossessed Moore and set Curran up for a confident finish from just inside the box.

Cliftonville: Dunne, Ives, C Curran (Kearns, 72 mins), R Curran, McDonagh, Lowe, Addis, Doherty, Gormley (O’Neill, 86 mins), Turner (Coates, 89 mins), Gallagher. Unused subs: McNicholas, Foster, Donnelly, Casey.