Swift injustice

Cliftonville 0-2 Dungannon Swifts

Cliftonville’s numerical disadvantage cost them dearly as Dungannon Swifts claimed full points against their 10-man hosts during this afternoon’s Boyle Sports Premiership encounter at Solitude.

A game that the Reds looked in control of took a turn when Harry Wilson was sent off five minutes before half-time, with an injury to goalkeeper PJ Morrison exacerbating the task.

Brian Healy had already seen a goal controversially ruled out for offside when Wilson’s firm challenge on Gael Bigirimana was punished with a straight red card by referee Shane Andrews.

Almost immediately, Dungannon defender Danny Wallace missed the target with a point-blank header but in doing so, fell on top of Morrison, who required treatment before play to continue.

The keeper was, however, forced off early in the second-half and, just minutes after 16-year-old Matthew Belshaw had come on for his debut, the Reds almost edged in front when Healy slipped Rory Hale into a shooting position but the skipper was unable to locate the bottom corner with his effort.

The deadlock was broken at the other end on the hour when Paul Doyle led a charge down the centre of the field and teed up Kealan Dillon to finish.

Sean McAllister slammed home a second shortly afterwards as the Swifts wrapped up the points with 25 minutes still left on the clock.

Cliftonville: Morrison (Belshaw, 49 mins), Wightman, Samuels, Wilson, Hale (Sheridan, 66 mins), Healy (Gormley, 71 mins), McClelland, McMaster, Quinn (Thompson, 66 mins), Bannon, McStravick (Hawthorne, 66 mins). Unused subs: O’Connor, Conlan.