Cliftonville moved back into the top six of the Sports Direct Irish Premiership table thanks to a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Carrick Rangers this evening at Solitude.
A Rory Hale inspired Reds’ performance saw the skipper score a first-half opener and illustrate his attacking influence throughout.
Australian new-boy Alex Parsons grabbed the second for his new club and his first in the second period, before Stephen McGuinness made sure of victory in the final minute. Carrick remain in 11th and without a league win since November.
In cool temperatures under the floodlights, both sets of players took some time to get the action heated up and it was 18 minutes before the first shot on goal took place.
Reds’ man Parsons took advantage of some hesitant Carrick defending to advance forward before firing off an effort from outside the area. Rangers’ keeper Jack McIntyre was forced into a tremendous diving save to his right to keep the scores level.
Six minutes later and it was Stephen Baxter’s me who went close. Danny Gibson breaking out wide before he teased a low cross across the face of goal. The ball seemed destined to be met by Jack Hastings at the back post, but he missed the ball by the narrowest of margins as it ran wide.
Jim Magilton’s side seemed to heed the warning and on 27 minutes took the lead themselves.
Midfield maestro Hale gathered the ball on the edge of the area, before powering home a low effort into Jack McIntyre’s bottom right-hand corner to the delight of the home crowd.
Carrick, to their credit, continued to battle valiantly throughout the remainder of the opening period and were only denied by the woodwork before half-time.
Gibson, threatening once more, offloaded a stinging drive from a tight angle, with the ball pinging off the near post. Reds’ stopper Lewis Ridd eventually managed to collect at the second time of asking.
Twelve minutes after the restart and it was Cliftonville’s turn to strike the woodwork. McGuinness ran onto Gordon’s through and powered in an effort that beat McIntyre but crashes not the post. However, Magilton would have worried little as just 60-seconds later they did get a second.
Australian Parsons took advantage of a Carrick error by latching onto a loose ball and charging into the area before smashing high into the roof of the net for his first goal in red.
The second goal appeared to blunt the visitors’ desire, and it was one-way traffic for the last half hour. It therefore came as no shock when defender McGuiness smashed into the Rangers’ net to make it three in the final minute, after a goal-mouth scramble.
Cliftonville: Ridd, Hale, Lowe, Gordon, Glynn, Casey, Keaney, Wilson, McGuiness, McWoods, Parsons.
Subs: Odumosu, Pepper, Addis, Kearney, Curran, Ojo, Corrigan.
Carrick Rangers: McIntyre, Maciulaitis, McCullough, Buchanan-Rolleston, Cherry, Gibson, Webb, Boyle, Hastings, O’Reilly, O’Malley.
Subs: Glendinning, Forsythe, Cushley, Andrews, O’Brien, Forbes, Foley.