Off the Ball

Ballymena United 1-0 Cliftonville

Cliftonville slumped to defeat against Ballymena United at The Showgrounds, where a late strike from Kian Corbally condemned the Reds to another loss at the Sky Blues’ hands.

The Braidmen had won both of the sides’ prior Sports Direct Premiership tussles this season, as well as a County Antrim Shield quarter-final tie, and they almost claimed an early lead in this clash when Aaron Jarvis let fly from distance with an effort that roared just wide of the mark.

An Ethan Devine drive then moved wickedly in the air, forcing Lewis Ridd to parry the ball in the direction of Corbally, whose shot was safely gathered by the keeper, with Devine then off target with a header from a corner early in the second-half.

Cliftonville – whose goal threats had largely come from shots that were charged down before goalkeeper Sean O’Neill was needed to intervene – came close to breaking the deadlock when Jack Keaney’s header was cleared off the line by Patrick McEleney before Alex Parsons drew O’Neill into action at his near post.

Axel Piesold then failed to make a clean connection after bringing a Conor Pepper delivery out of the air but, just as the momentum of the game appeared to be swinging the visitors’ way, United claimed the only goal when Ben Kennedy intercepted Micheal Glynn’s attempted pass to Piesold and slipped Corbally in for a well-taken finish that proved enough for Ballymena to take full points.

Cliftonville: Ridd, Addis (Glynn, 74 mins), Kearney, Hale, Curran (Corrigan, 75 mins), Conlan, Piesold, Casey, Keaney, Wilson (Pepper, 56 mins), Parsons (Gormley, 56 mins). Unused subs: Odumosu, Pettifer, McWoods.