Sports Direct Premiership
Coleraine 0-0 Cliftonville
It was honours even at the Coleraine Showgrounds as tonight’s Sports Direct Premiership game between Coleraine and Cliftonville finished scoreless.
A point apiece does little for both these sides who remain outside of the top six in the table with the end-of-season split now appearing on the distant horizon.
The best chances fell to Destiny Ojo of Cliftonville and Declan McManus of the Bannsiders, but managers Jim Magilton and Dean Shiels will take little from tonight’s game.
Jamie McGonigle had the first effort of the match for the hosts on nine minutes. The former Derry City man pounced on a poor pass from the Reds’ midfield before he passed Jack Kearney on his way to goal.
He managed to fire off a low shot but keeper David Odumosu was aware of the danger and palmed the ball away to safety.
Three minutes later and it Cliftonville’s turn to go close.
Luke Conlan streaked past Jack Scott before sliding a ball across the face of goal.
Ojo looked odds-on to score but instead missed the ball with the goal at his mercy as Coleraine escaped.
Rhyss Campbell and Connor Murray both went close for hosts as the game ticked towards half-time, but on both occasions their efforts were deflected wide by a stubborn Reds’ defence.
Coleraine also lost Jamie Glackin to injury in the first period to further dampen their goalscoring threat.
Perhaps the biggest cheer of the evening came early in the second half, when new signing Charles Dunne barged Ojo off the ball. The new Coleraine defender showing he could be a real asset to Coleraine after his midweek move from St. Mirren.
It was on the hour mark before either team threatened the goal after the restart. Murray, again a threat, trying his luck from the edge of the area, but Odumosu was alive to the danger once more.
Joe Gormley and Rory Hale were introduced for the north Belfast side in the final 15 minutes, whilst Matthew Shevlin was brought on for the hosts as both sides chased the winner, and on 80 minutes the Bannsiders’ should have taken the lead.
Kearney tried to clear the danger for Cliftonville, but his clearance rebounded off Declan McManus and just went wide in what was a real let off for the visitors.
Both sides ran out of ideas in the dying minutes and eventually had to settle for a point.
Coleraine: Brown, Kane (c), Jarvis, Boyle, Scott, Murray, Glackin, McGonigle, Ives, Dunne, McManus.
Subs: Little, Stewart, Campbell, Shevlin, Spence, Burns, Smith.
Cliftonville: Odumosu, Pepper, Pettier, Kearney, Curran (c), Ojo, Conlan, Piesold, Casey, Kearney, McGuinness.
Subs: Ridd, Addis, Hale, Lowe, Gormley, Glynn, McWoods.