Danske Bank Premiership
Cliftonville 1 Linfield 0
RONAN Doherty celebrated his 27th birthday in style by netting the winner as Cliftonville went top of the table with a hard fought 1-0 win over Linfield at Solitude on Tuesday evening.
The Derry midfielder’s 12th minute strike was enough to see the Reds leapfrog Larne at summit and open up a five-point lead over the current champions.
It’s the first time the hosts have registered a win over the Blues in the league in eight attempts – stretching all the way back to a 4-3 victory in January 2021.
Paddy McLaughlin made one change from Friday evening's 5-0 Irish Cup win over Dundela. Doherty returning in place of Chris Curran in midfield, while David Healy made six changes from the Blues' cup win against Warrenpoint. Matthew Clarke, Daniel Finlayson, Jamie Mulgrew, Eetu Vertainen and Cammy Palmer all returned to the starting 11.
Cliftonville struck first under the Solitude lights after 12 minutes. Sean Moore linked-up with Ronan Hale, the striker’s flick-on released Ronan Doherty who ran onto the pass and fired low past Chris Johns to celebrate his 27th birthday in style.
A second almost followed when a short corner routine saw Chris Gallagher clip in a cross and Joe Gormley’s knockdown broke to Jonny Addis, who headed over the bar.
On the half-hour mark, Cammy Palmer caught Levi Ives with a stray elbow and referee Tim Marshall opted to book the Blues midfielder.
The visitors had a penalty appeal waved away on the 34th minute when Eetu Verainen sent in a low cross and Joel Cooper tumbled in a tussle with Ives, though Marshall wasn’t convinced.
The closest the champions came to a response before half-time was when Daniel Finlayson curled a shot wide of the post so Doherty’s strike was the difference at the break.
Linfield began the second period on the front foot as Joel Cooper burst forward and slipped in Finlayson, though he was quickly closed down by Levi Ives.
Cooper was again the Blues' focal point as he ran onto a pass and saw his shot across the face of goal turned behind by Nathan Gartside.
The resulting corner was swung in by Matthew Clarke and Finlayson’s header was steered off the line by Ives.
Blues' substitute Andrew Clarke controlled and picked out Cooper with a cut-back, but his effort was deflected behind for a corner which came to nothing.
Cliftonville sat in deep as they tried to see things out and their commitment was typified when Kris Lowe charged down Chris Shields deep into added time.
In the end they managed to see the game out to head to the league summit for the first time since the beginning of October and open up a five-point lead over Linfield in the process.
In other games played on Tuesday, Glenavon were 4-2 winners over Crusaders at Mourneview Park, while Coleraine took the points from their trip to Newry with a 2-1 win. The game between Glentoran and Ballymena was postponed due toa waterlogged pitch at the Oval.
Cliftonville: Gartside, Lowe, Addis (McDonagh 61’), Turner, Ives, Gallagher, Doherty (Casey 83’), Rory Hale (Coates 83’), Moore, Ronan Hale, Gormley (C Curran 78’).
Linfield: Johns, Roscoe-Byrne, Newberry (Devine 81’), Shields, Cooper, McDaid (A Clarke 60’), Clarke, Finlayson, Mulgrew, Vertainen (McKee 71’), Palmer (Stewart 71’).
Referee: Tim Marshall
