Doubled up

Cliftonville 4-0 Knockbreda

Liam McStravick joined Joe Gormley in bagging a double as Cliftonville sealed County Antrim Shield progress at Knockbreda’s expense this evening.

McStravick netted twice in the first-half at Solitude before Gormley put the seal on a dominant Reds display with a brace of his own in the closing stages.

Amid a total of nine changes to the side that faced Dungannon Swifts in the Boyle Sports Premiership on Saturday were debutant Cillian Murray and fellow 16-year-old Matthew Belshaw, the goalkeeper who emerged from the bench to make his first senior appearance in that weekend outing.

He was largely a spectator, though, as Cliftonville went in search of goals from the off and, after Joe Gormley was twice denied by goalkeeper Owen Sames, a timely block from Jordan Blair prevented Murray from seizing on a loose ball after McStravick’s cross fell his way.

Blair also threw himself in the way of a Gormley volley and Shaun Leppard touched wide from a Murray cross before the deadlock was broken when Luke Conlan’s pass put McStravick in the clear and he made no mistake.

The same player made it 2-0 just past the half-hour when he touched home Gormley’s assist after good work from Joel Thompson, but passed up the chance of a hat-trick soon later when, rather than attempt a shot, he laid off for Gormley only for Blair to intervene again.

Sames’ save prevented an own goal from Joel Given and both Gormley and Leppard were off target before the first-half ended with Alex Bannon shooting wide from a promising position.

The theme continued after the turnaround with Keevan Hawthorne going close from distance before Blair again thwarted Gormley after the striker had touched the ball past the goalkeeper.

Leppard missed the target for a third time in the game before Given stopped Gormley converting Brian Healy’s cross ahead of Sames palming Joe Sheridan’s 72nd minute effort away.

Knockbreda passed up a golden chance of their own when Casey Yankey’s cross fell invitingly for Tim Millar-Wilson, but he blazed wildly over the bar from just outside the six-yard box.

Substitutes Rhyss Campbell and Ben Quinn were next to fire shots wide before Cliftonville finally got their third when Healy’s cross was nodded down by Campbell and Gormley provided the finish.

Five minutes from time, Quinn’s low cross somehow evaded both Healy and Gormley, but the latter wrapped things up shortly afterwards when, from Conlan’s ball in behind, he sat his marker down before locating the bottom corner.

Cliftonville: Belshaw, O’Connor, Leppard, Conlan, Thompson, Gormley, Bannon (Wightman, 46 mins), McStravick (Campbell, 56 mins), Hawthorne (Healy, 61 mins), Sheridan, Murray (Quinn, 74 mins). Unused subs: McInerney, Hale, McClelland.