Perfect 10

Cliftonville 4-0 Portadown

Cliftonville made it a perfect 10 home wins this season with a 4-0 victory over Portadown at Solitude this evening.

Ahead after just five minutes when Joe Gormley converted a Jamie McDonagh cross, Paul Finnegan’s own goal – after Gormley’s delivery had come back off the post – doubled the Reds’ lead ahead of Gormley slamming in from point-blank range on 36 minutes.

Ryan Curran completed the scoring from the penalty spot at the start of the second-half after Man of the Match Gormley had been hauled to the ground by defender Greg Hall.

That perfect start was due in no small part to a raking diagonal pass from Ronan Doherty which allowed McDonagh to get in behind full-back Michael Ruddy and send in a first-time delivery which Gormley nodded into the far corner.

The Ports responded well to that setback and, after Lee Bonis had called Declan Dunne into an unorthodox save, debutant Eoin Teggart dragged an attempt wide against the Club he spent a brief spell on loan with last season.

Curran sent a volley wide at the other end before Cliftonville doubled their advantage with a touch of fortune. Again, it was Doherty who played the ball into the right channel but this time it was Gormley who seized upon it and, though his dinked ball into the middle beat goalkeeper Jethren Barr, it came off the back post before striking Finnegan and crossing the line.

It was 3-0 on 35 minutes when Gormley had all the time and space in the world to thunder past Barr from close range after the visitors’ offside trap had been undone by both George Tipton and Ruddy getting touches on Chris Gallagher’s header into the box.

The night’s scoring was complete early in the second-half following Hall’s foul on Gormley, which allowed Curran to step up and stroke home from the penalty spot.

Cliftonville: Dunne, C Curran, R Curran, McDonagh (Foster, 64 mins), Lowe (Coates, 64 mins), Donnelly, Addis (Harney, 57 mins), Doherty (Kearns, 57 mins), Gormley (O’Neill, 57 mins), Turner, Gallagher. Unused subs: McNicholas (not used), Ives.