Coca-Cola Cup semi-final: Cliftonville 2 Ballymena United 1
A MEASLY crowd of around 600 watched Cliftonville reach the Coca-Cola Cup final showpiece with Linfield, following their 2-1 win over Ballymena United. Security measures enforced a rescheduling of this cup tie after the riot scenes at last night’s host, two weeks ago.
Last night, the remains of the riot between Glentoran and Linfield fans, broken seats, lay in an organised heap at the foot of the North Stand.
To one side some sung aloud the Sash. In the face of that came the Fields of Athenry. Parity of esteem.
Sadly those who stayed away, missed an entertaining game.
Within 15 minutes the former Coca Cola Cup champions were sitting comfortably on goals from skipper Mickey Donnelly and veteran defender Marty Tabb.
The two-goal deficit was immediately halved after the interval when nippy winger Dessie Loughery beat Reds keeper Reece with his 10 yard effort.
Loughery, adjudged to be off-side by angry Cliftonville players, picked up a defence splitting pass to compliment their lively start to the second half.
Astute defending on Cliftonville’s part was however suffice.
Cliftonville: Reece, Small, Flynn, Tabb, Davey, Sliney, T McCann, B O’Connor, Tolan, Collins, Donnelly (booked 65mins).
Subs: Douglas, McCourt, M McCann (for Collins 73).
Ballymena United: Beck, Stewart, Boyd, Allen, McConnell (booked 34mins), Bustard, Murray, Loughery, Hunter, Muir, Knell.
Subs: Candlish (for Bustard 67mins), McGreevy (for Murray 80mins), Crawford.
Referee: John Ferry (Derry).
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ARMAGH have made six changes to the side which lost narrowly to Derry in the NFL last Sunday for their McKenna Cup tie with Antrim at the Athletic Grounds.
With one eye on Armagh’s Ulster U21 championship semi-final with Down in Crossmaglen on Saturday week, the management have opted to rest the McEntee brothers, Tony and John, along with fellow U21s Barry Duffy, Peter Loughran and Alan O’Neill.
There are three changes in attack, with Ger Houlahan coming in at right corner-forward for John McEntee while James Byrne will play at left-half-forward in place of Oisin McConville.
There is also a change at full-forward, Martin Toye replacing Neil Smyth.
Mark Campbell comes in for Benny Tierney in goals while Mark McNeill replaces Tony McEntee at right cornerback.
Kieran Hughes will occupy the left corner-back slot instead of Andrew McCann.
Armagh: M Campbell, M McNeill, G Reid, K Hughes, M McQuillan, J McNulty, J Rafferty, J Burns, P McGrane, K McGeeney, B O’Hagan, J Byrne, G Houlahan, M Toye, D Marsden.
Subs: B Tierney, A McCann, N Smyth, C O’Rourke, O McConville, T McEntee, J McEntee, A O’Neill, B Duffy, P Loughran.
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BELFAST light heavyweight Steven Kirk scooped the Irish Boxing Writers ‘Boxer of the Year’ award at a champagne reception at Shelbourne Park race track last night.
The 25-year-old Belfast shipyard fitter was voted top amateur in 1997 by a panel of 16 fistic scribes.
Although largely absent from Irish international competition last year Kirk pulled out all the stops to lift bronze at the World senior championships in Budapest in October.
He was only the fourth Irishman to grab a gong at the top-ranking event.
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IRELAND'S Michelle Smith De Bruin lost her European 200 metres butterfly record to Denmark’s Mette Jakobsen at the World Cup short-course meet in Malmo, Sweden, last night.
Jakobsen clocked 2mins 6.78secs to better the triple Olympic champion’s 2:07.04 set in Cork on August 9, 1997.
Britain’s Gavin Meadows finished second in the 200m freestyle – their only top-three placing of the night.
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IRELAND''S Eugene Hughes registered the first major surprise of the Strachan British Open Billiards Championship at Ashover Hall near Chesterfield.
He sent seventh seed Ian Williamson crashing out, finishing 578-326 ahead in yesterday’s first round match.
