Danske Bank Premiership: Cliftonville 1 Dungannon Swifts 2
CLIFTONVILLE’S title hopes suffered a potential hammer blow on Saturday at Solitude – and manager Paddy McLaughlin has lamented the fact that his side are regularly being handed a lesson they are refusing to learn from.
Cliftonville had looked on course for a narrow victory thanks to a Ronan Hale header, only for the struggling Swifts to sucker punch them with two late goals.
In the 90th minute, substitute Pádraig Lynch headed home following a cross from Steven Scott to rescue what looked like a point for Dean Shiels' side, but just moments later fellow substitute Joseph Moore struck the winner to claim all three points and move them level with Newry City on 23 points.
Dungannon are the first team to inflict a home defeat on Cliftonville in more than a year, and it was a particularly damaging one as Larne’s win over Ballymena United on Friday night had moved them nine points clear of the Reds at the top of the table. It came just a fortnight after the Swifts had knocked Cliftonville out of the Irish Cup in another 2-1 result at Solitude.
“We keep learning but we have to develop, we can’t keep being taught these lessons, we have to take them on board and add them to our own game,” said McLaughlin afterwards.
“Unfortunately, we seem to be being taught the same lesson time and time again for most of the season. That’s part of the frustration, too, that we’ve let that get the better of us so soon after them doing it to us in the cup, so there’s a lot to learn.
“It’s shellshock – we were comfortable enough for large parts of the game and, though we were nowhere near our best, we’d so many chances to make it 2-0 and put the game safe.
“Then, as the game got towards the 90th minute, I think we got a bit edgy and didn’t manage the game well enough. We let them in once just before they equalised and that was a warning shot we should have adhered but we didn’t. They get down a second time and it’s a free header on the six yard line, which is criminal.
“We’re shocked and disappointed to have let that happen and then obviously we’re throwing everything at it to try and get the winner because a draw’s no good, but there’s a quick counter-attack, they pick us off and score a second.”
With six rounds of games left to play in the Danske Bank Premiership, Cliftonville may have left themselves with too much to claw back in the title race, and McLaughlin says a lack of ruthlessness has been damaging.
“When you look at the chances created for both teams, they’ve been ruthless and we haven’t,” he added of the Dungannon game.
“That goes for both ends of the pitch because we can’t be conceding two goals at such a key stage of the season and we can’t be passing up so many opportunities to seal the game. It’s a frustrating day for us, a devastating day for the players and supporters because there was so much riding on it.”
Elsewhere on Saturday, Linfield leapfrogged Cliftonville in the table thanks to a 7-0 hammering of Newry City at Windsor Park. Joel Cooper bagged four of the goals for the rampant Blues, while Christopher McKee (two) and Matthew Clarke got the others.
Portadown lost ground in the fight for survival despite holding Crusaders to a draw at Shamrock Park. The Crues had looked on course for victory until Alan O’Sullivan popped up with a last gasp equaliser.
Glentoran won 4-0 at Carrick Rangers, while Glenavon beat Coleraine 2-1 at Mourneview Park.
