Kearns finds extra touch

Portadown 1-2 Cliftonville

Daniel Kearns struck an extra-time winner as Cliftonville hit from behind to get the better of Portadown in this evening’s League Cup quarter-final at Shamrock Park.

The Reds fell behind early in the second-half when Lee Bonis converted a rebound after Declan Dunne had made a save, but Ronan Doherty scrambled in a leveller to force an additional 30 minutes.

Kearns swept home after some great work from Ryan Curran to secure victory and Cliftonville’s place in the last-four.

In a markedly different contest to the one the sides engaged in at Solitude last week, Portadown fashioned a few decent early chances; Stephen Teggart blazing wide before Dunne gathered an Oisin Conaty attempt at the second time of asking.

At the other end, Jamie McDonagh drove a left-footed shot straight at Jethren Barr ahead of Bonis sending an effort wide at the break of a smart counter-attack from the hosts.

Curran then drew Barr into action with a header from Doherty’s cross and Aaron Donnelly lifted the ball over the top as Cliftonville ended the first-half strongly but whatever momentum they generated from those attacks was snuffed out shortly after the re-start when Adam Salley latched on to Barr’s punt forward and, though Dunne kept the striker’s effort out, Bonis was on hand to follow up and make it 1-0.

The visitors’ search for a leveller saw Doherty shoot off target before Barr gathered a fierce McDonagh blast and, though the Reds were dominating possession, they were nevertheless relieved to see Teggart’s wayward header sail past after he had been teed up by Nathan Kerr.

Teggart then forced a straightforward stop from Dunne ahead of Cliftonville going close to equalising when Joe Gormley cannoned a header against the crossbar from a McDonagh delivery, with Paul Finnegan intervening before Curran could convert the rebound and Barr fielding McDonagh’s follow-up.

Within minutes, however, the Reds did finally have the ball in the net; Chris Curran dinking in a low cross which Doherty met on the six-yard line and touched in despite Barr’s best efforts.

Gormley came within inches of winning it in normal time with a ferocious strike but, with neither side able to settle the issue, Kearns bagged the decisive effort just seven minutes into extra-time when he was perfectly placed to steer past Barr after some wing wizardry from Ryan Curran.

Cliftonville: Dunne, Ives (Kearns, 66 mins), C Curran (Foster 114 mins), R Curran, McDonagh (Coates, 106 mins), Lowe, A Donnelly, Addis, Doherty, Gormley, Turner. Unused subs: O Donnelly, Casey, Moore, Morgan.