Levelled out

Carrick Rangers 3-3 Cliftonville

Cliftonville were forced to settle for a point after Carrick Rangers struck late in this evening’s Danske Bank Premiership clash at a rainswept Loughview Leisure Arena.

The Reds led through stunning finishes from Levi Ives and Sean Moore either side of David Cushley’s scrambled equaliser and when Ronan Hale nodded in deep in first-half injury-time, Cliftonville looked to be in firm control of proceedings.

Kyle Cherry, however, pulled one back for the Gers shortly after the re-start and, while the Reds enjoyed the majority of the play thereafter and rarely found themselves under any serious pressure from the hosts, Carrick levelled matters a minute from time when Lloyd Anderson was on hand to convert after a Steven Gordon attempt had come back off the base of the post.

In front of a noisy travelling support, it was the home side who fashioned the first serious opening of the night when Cushley worked an opening only for Nathan Gartside to get down and turn the ball behind.

At the other end, a fierce delivery from Kris Lowe was almost touched in by Joe Gormley but the Reds wouldn’t have long to wait before the deadlock was broken; a foul on Moore earning a free-kick which Ives stepped up to stroke beyond the despairing dive of Ross Glendinning.

Carrick levelled on the half-hour mark, though, when Cushley was on hand to force the ball over the line after a corner wasn’t properly dealt with but it didn’t take Cliftonville long to restore their advantage, with Moore twisting and turning his way past a posse of challenges before curling into the far corner.

Hale’s header from Ives’ set-piece delivery put the away side 3-1 up at the break, but the Reds were given a scare shortly after the turnaround when an incorrectly-awarded free-kick allowed Cushley to try his luck only for the veteran forward to send his effort whistling wide.

It wouldn’t be long before the Gers reduced the arrears, though, as some generous defending allowed Cherry plenty of time and space to slot past debutant goalkeeper Gerard Doherty, who had been introduced for the ill Gartside just before the interval.

Though lacking the quality of play they had shown in the opening 45 minutes, it was Cliftonville who did most of the pressing thereafter; Rory Hale seeing a couple of shots charged down inside the box alongside Ives being kept at bay.

Rory Hale and Moore each delivered crosses that went close to extending the Reds’ advantage and David Parkhouse almost marked his debut with a close-range conversion.

Right at the death, however, Carrick took full advantage of a rare forward foray when Gordon drove intothe box and executed a shot that struck the inside of the post and rolled in the direction of a raft of unmarked Gers players who were almost falling over themselves to finish things off; Anderson assuming the authority to slam into the empty net and rescue a point for the home side.

Cliftonville: Gartside (G Doherty, 42 mins), Ives, Gallagher, Rory Hale, Lowe, Robinson, R Doherty (Casey, 60 mins), Gormley (Parkhouse, 60 mins), Turner, Ronan Hale (Addis, 85 mins), Moore. Unsued subs: C Curran, R Curran, McDonagh.