A job Wel done

H&W Welders 0-3 Cliftonville

Cliftonville’s defence of the League Cup started with a comfortable victory over Harland & Wolff Welders this evening.

In what was the Reds’ first ever away game with the Shipyardmen, a first-half goal from Ronan Hale broke the deadlock before a double from substitute Joe Gormley made sure of progress.

After both he and Kris Lowe had threatened to open the scoring, Hale found the net when he spotted goalkeeper Sam Johnston off his line and coolly lifted the ball over him from just inside the box.

The Welders keeper denied Hale a second before the break and the second-half began with referee Shane Andrews waving strong penalty appeals away when Chris Curran was sent tumbling by Johnston.

Curran, Lowe and Jamie McDonagh went close to making it 2-0 and Johnston repelled a drive from Ryan Curran before the security of the second goal came when Hale rolled the ball across the face of goal for Gormley to finish off.

Ronan Doherty almost got the goal his performance deserved only to become the latest Cliftonville player to be thwarted by Johnston, who was eventually beaten again when Lowe’s ball in behind the home defence allowed Gormley to steal in and lob the keeper.

Cliftonville: Gartside, Addis, Gallagher, C Curran (Moore), R Curran, McDonagh (Gormley), Lowe, Traynor (Coates), Doherty (Casey), Turner, Ronan Hale. Unused subs: Talley, Robinson, Storey.