Eureka!

Coleraine 0-2 Cliftonville

Cliftonville produced another committed performance to overcome Coleraine and stamp their passports to European football this afternoon.

Goals in either half from midfield duo Rory Hale and Axel Piesold accounted for the Bannsiders, whose task was heightened by the dismissal of goalkeeper Max Little early in the second period.

The Reds had chances to further extend their lead as the clock ticked down but two goals proved enough to clinch European Play-Off Final victory and a place in next season’s UEFA Conference League.

The first opportunity of the game saw Hale clip a ball over the top for Eric McWoods to run on to but, under pressure from Charles Dunne, he was unable to make a full connection on his shot and Little made a straightforward stop.

At the other end, Lewis Ridd showed smart reactions to deny Rhyss Campbell at the end of a clever Coleraine free-kick routine before McWoods – injured while attempting to get that early shot away – was forced out of the action.

The Bannsiders should have taken the lead on 22 minutes when, after catching Cliftonville on the counter attack, Jamie Glackin squared for Declan McManus but the former TNS frontman – who played in the Cymru Premier side’s pre-season visit to Solitude back in June – drove his low effort straight at Ridd.

It wasn’t long before the deadlock was broken and the breakthrough owed much to Hale’s anticipation as he reacted quickest to convert from close range after Ryan Curran’s shot had been kept out by Little.

The closest the hosts came to levelling in the first-half was a Ronan Doherty curler that Ridd plucked out of the air, while the Reds ended the opening 45 minutes nursing another injury that saw Corrigan forced off in place of Joe Gormley – and it didn’t take long for the veteran frontman to find himself in the thick of the action as he was flattened by Little while bidding to seize on Hale’s ball over the top.

Referee Ben McMaster had no choice but to flash a straight red card and, following a lengthy delay while sub stopper Rory Brown entered the fray, Hale’s free-kick found Curran, whose strike was kept out by the replacement keeper.

Within a few minutes, however, Cliftonville had the second goal they needed to kill the tie. Again, Gormley was involved as he got a shot away from a tricky angle and, though Brown kept his effort out, Luke Conlan kept the danger alive to find Piesold, who swept home in front of a jubilant Red Army.

A fine intervention from Shea Kearney stopped Matthew Shevlin from getting a shot away as Coleraine bade to set up a grandstand finale but it was at the other end where a goal looked the most likely and it almost came from Gormley but, after being picked out by a wonderful Piesold pass, he was unable to make a full connection with his shot and Brown got down to gather.

The Reds then safely negotiated a mammoth 11 minutes of additional time and, with supporters in fine voice in the North West sunshine, the final whistle saw the party begin in earnest as the Club counts down to more European action.

Cliftonville: Ridd, Addis, Kearney, Hale (Wilson, 76 mins), Curran, Conlan (Glynn, 76 mins), Gordon (Pepper, 67 mins), Piesold, Casey, Keaney, McWoods (Corrigan, 10 mins (Gormley, 46 mins)). Unused subs: Odumosu, McGuinness.