Sport

Relentless Crusaders keep up title push with Coleraine win

CRUSADERS' Billy Joe Burns converted two controversial penalties as the Crues beat Coleraine 2-0 on Saturday to maintain an eight point gap at the top of the table. Photo Mark Marlow/Pacemaker Press
CRUSADERS' Billy Joe Burns converted two controversial penalties as the Crues beat Coleraine 2-0 on Saturday to maintain an eight point gap at the top of the table. Photo Mark Marlow/Pacemaker Press CRUSADERS' Billy Joe Burns converted two controversial penalties as the Crues beat Coleraine 2-0 on Saturday to maintain an eight point gap at the top of the table. Photo Mark Marlow/Pacemaker Press

Coleraine 0 Crusaders 2

CRUSADERS are quite simply a winning machine.

Saturday's away win against Coleraine was their eighth in 10 games and maintained an eight point gap over nearest pursuers Cliftonville, over whom they also have a game in hand.

The match was settled with two penalties - both converted by Billy Joe Burns. Both were controversial with John Watt adjudged to have brought down Paul Heatley for the first and the second awarded for a foul by David Ogilby on Jordan Owens.

Replays of the first incident certainly seemed to indicate that the foul, for which Watt received a second yellow card, occurred outside the penalty area.

Flying winger Heatley was honest enough to concede that the incident in which he was upended may have involved an element of good fortune but pointed out that luck has not always favoured the champions.

"It was a lovely wee ball played through and I was able to get to the ball on the edge of the box before their last defender," recalled Heatley

"The tackle was made and he was already booked so I think no matter what the outcome was he was going to walk.

"The referee makes his call. I have seen it myself and you could argue yeah the foul was maybe made just outside the box but it’s very, very close to the line and it’s a very tough call for Raymond Crangle to have made.

"So I think in fairness to him, he consulted his linesman [and] the linesman actually gave it more than Raymond.

"So you have to just respect that and we’ve certainly had a few decisions go against us this year. Maybe this is one that will balance things out."

Throughout the game, striker Owens was a real handful for the Coleraine defence, as he has been for many others this season. Not only did he win the second penalty - he also struck the woodwork twice.

Heatley commended the contribution of the front man, who recently became Crusaders' leading all-time scorer.

"He is a fantastic target man," insisted Heatley.

"Especially in conditions like that where the pitch is digging up and it has turned into a bit of a ploughed field.

"You are just quite simply unable to play the ball on the ground so to have someone of his physical presence up front to hold the ball up and flick things on is a massive asset. And he certainly shows his quality in each game he plays.

"The important thing for us was just to get up, get the three points and get back down the road."

Next up for Stephen Baxter's men is a trip to Stangmore Park on Saturday to face Dungannon Swifts in the sixth round of the Irish Cup, before a league meeting with Glenavon at Seaview.

Heatley is well aware of the threat posed by the Tyrone men.

"They are actually potentially what you might consider our bogey team," he said.

"They always seem to put up a really strong fight against us – particularly away from home.

"They have their own style down there as well and they know how to grind out results, so regardless whether it’s a league or a cup match, it’s always tough.

"I’m sure the manager will have us fully focussed for it because at the end of the day it’s the Irish Cup and we certainly want to progress."