An eye-catching finish from Joe Gormley saw Cliftonville claim a last-minute victory in this evening’s friendly with Armagh City.
Jim Magilton made use of 21 players at Holm Park, where Cillian Murray and Matthew Belshaw enjoyed their first exposure to senior action during a second-half in which Rhyss Campbell made his long-awaited return from injury, while a host of last season’s Academy League Under-18 title-winning side emerged from the bench.
Brian Healy and Conor Falls both threatened an early breakthrough and, after Luke Conlan was unable to convert when he seized on the rebound to an Aaron Wightman effort, Rory Hale whipped an attempt over the bar and Ben Quinn miscued inside the box.
After the interval, Armagh – playing their first game under the guidance of new boss Dave Rogers and former Reds striker Tiarnan Mulvenna – produced solid rearguard action as Gormley and Joe Sheridan saw strikes charged down, while Aidan Kelly’s diving header whistled just wide.
Cliftonville’s trialist drew a save from the home keeper, who also did just enough to prevent Gormley from lobbing in an opener befoe an outstretched hand turned Murray’s delivery against the crossbar.
The Reds should have been awarded a penalty when Murray was bundled over in the box but the referee waved played on in a call which appeared to signal that the contest would finish goalless, until Gormley had the decisive say when he smashed an 89th minute blast into the top corner.
Cliftonville: Ridd, Wightman, McClelland, Kelly, Conlan, Wilson, Thompson, Hale, Quinn, Healy, Falls. Subs: Belshaw (Ridd, 76 mins), Stanfield (Kelly, 60 mins), Campbell (Quinn, 59 mins), Sheridan (Wilson, 46 mins), Gormley (Falls, 46 mins), Cassidy (Conlan, 60 mins), Anderson (Thompson, 60 mins), Green (Wightman, 60 mins), Murray (Healy, 60 mins), Trialist (Hale, 60 mins), Kelly (Anderson, 85 mins).