Clear frustration

Linfield 1-0 Cliftonville

Cliftonville failed to fire in slipping to a narrow defeat against Linfield in this evening’s Boyle Sports Premiership meeting at the Clearer Twist Stadium.

A second-half header from Ethan McGee ultimately settled a contest that the Reds were never able to stamp any authority on from an attacking perspective.

A surging early run from Liam McStravick ended with a pass that was just too heavy for Ben Quinn to seize upon before PJ Morrison made a smart save to deny Kirk Millar an unconventional opener.

Dean McMaster sent an attempt off target and Rory Hale saw a shot deflected wide but it was the Blues who broke the deadlock 10 minutes after the interval when McGee worked enough time and space to nod home from a corner delivery.

McStravick sent a strike just wide and substitute Joe Gormley saw a low drive whistle past the post, but the closest Cliftonville came to levelling matters was when Joe Sheridan attacked a Joel Thompson cross only to see his header take a couple of ricochets en route to going behind from a corner.

Linfield might have doubled their advantage late on when Kobei Moore led a breakaway but Morrison stood up well to repel his effort, with the Reds unable to fashion any last-gasp openings in their pursuit of an equaliser.

Cliftonville: Morrison, Wightman, Samuels, Wilson, Hale, Healy (Gormley, 76 mins), McClelland, McMaster, Quinn (Sheridan, 68 mins), Bannon, McStravick. Subs: Belshaw, O’Connor, Conlan (Samuels, 56 mins), Thompson (Wilson, 56 mins), Gormley, Hawthorne, Sheridan.