Europa League Play-off final: Cliftonville 3 Glentoran 2
AFTER sealing European football at Solitude next season, Cliftonville chairman Gerard Lawlor rounded on the club’s critics and declared they would never get rid of the north Belfast club.
The Reds chief came under serious personal attack on social media after the team decided to bow their heads in protest at the playing of ‘God Save The Queen’ before the Irish Cup final the previous week.
Reds officials urged the IFA board to drop the anthem just as they did for the 2009 and 2013 deciders featuring the club, but their plea fell on deaf ears.
After Joe ‘The Goal’ Gormley hit a dramatic late winner to sink Glentoran in Saturday’s Europa League play-off, Lawlor said: “Cliftonville is well used to being knocked at every opportunity. It makes us stronger. I put out on Twitter last week Labi Siffre’s song ‘Something Inside So Strong’.
“We’re in this together. It’ll take more than a few people who don’t like us within Irish League football to get rid of us because we are here to stay and we’ll get stronger and stronger.”
Saturday’s incredible 3-2 victory over the Glens was worth a cool €240,000 in European money to the Reds. Lawlor didn’t pull any punches when he revealed that had they not qualified for next season’s Europa League the loss of finance would have set the club back “five or six years”.
“I tried to keep it under wraps, but I’ll be honest, not qualifying for Europe would’ve meant cutting about £100,000 off the wage bill.
“We were able to absorb the hit of not qualifying for Europe last year but not two years running, so it could have put the club back that far.
“I’m not being dramatic but the next chapter at Cliftonville was totally in the balance. It really was. I was probably more nervous for this game because at least the Irish Cup final was a safety net. But, cometh the hour - cometh Joe Gormley.”
Nobody does drama quite like Cliftonville. Two goals from Rory Donnelly either side of half-time should have put the Reds in cruise control but some terrible defending saw the Glens draw level in an astonishing four-minute spell.
Robbie McDaid slotted home in the 79th minute and a Curtis Allen penalty – conceded by Garry Breen – in the 83rd minute turned Saturday’s nail-biting encounter on its head.
But with four minutes of normal time remaining, Gormley showed brilliant composure to fire home from close range and send the Reds faithful into raptures.
Glens assistant manager Kieran Harding said their players gave it their “best shot” but some key refereeing decisions went against the east Belfast men.
“Their first goal shouldn’t have stood and should [Garry] Breen have walked for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity [after conceding the penalty]?
“So those are the decisions we’re bemused by, let’s say. The referee has contrived to make decisions that have ultimately cost us the game.”
Now in his eighth year as Reds chairman, Lawlor heaped praise on manager Barry Gray afterwards.
“After all the nonsense he’s had to contend with off the field, Barry has been fabulous. He has done a tremendous job. He got us to a League Cup semi-final, an Irish Cup final and delivered European football. I knew we’d appointed the right man.
"I’m delighted for the supporters and now there is a clear future ahead for us.”
Afterwards, Gray said: “I’ve learnt more in 12 months at Cliftonville than I’ve done in 15 years in management.
“The board has been very brave this year. They appointed me, an unknown, out of the blue. Nobody expected it and they backed me financially.
“With no European money last year, that’s the kind of support they’ve shown me and today I’ve repaid that support.”
Gray acknowledged: “If we hadn’t qualified for Europe we most definitely would have been looking at [player] exits. The board couldn’t have sustained [the same budget] over two seasons without European money. We have top players but you couldn’t afford to keep them if we didn’t have that income.”
Cliftonville: B Neeson, T Cosgrove, L Ives, J Harney, G Breen, L Bagnall, C McDonald (S Garrett 59), C Curran, J Gormley, R Donnelly, J Donnelly Subs not used: J McGovern, D Dunne, R Lavery, S Grimes
Glentoran: E Morris, N Kerr, W Garrett, R Redman, J Addis, M Kane, S Gordon (D Kelly 72), J McGuigan (P McMahon 62), D Davidson (A O’Hanlon 73), R McDaid, C Allen Subs not used: J Ferrin, P O’Neill,
Referee: K Kennedy
Cliftonville star man
Chris Curran
THERE are few players more consistent than the Cliftonville captain in the final third of the field. Had a hand in his side’s two second-half goals. A masterful display. When Curran is in this kind of form he is simply uncontainable. Stepped up when his team-mates needed him most.
Glentoran star man
Robbie McDaid
TRYING to mark the crafty attacker is like trying to nail jelly. Took up positions that are a defender’s nightmare. Popped up to slot home in the 79th minute and won the penalty after he was felled by Garry Breen. Left Solitude in the knowledge that he couldn’t have done any more.
