IT was Caitlin McGuinness’s day as the striker scored the only goal as Cliftonville defeated Cork City in the semi-final of the women’s Avenir All-Island Cup.
The Reds will now face Galway United – who defeated Wexford Youths on Saturday – in the final.
The north Belfast side now have three showpiece deciders to look forward to in the next four weeks – the Co Antrim Shield and League Cup finals in addition to the Avenir showdown (which is yet to be allocated a date) – as well as being right in the hunt for the Premiership title and a Champions League meeting with Benfica in September.
The impressive performance was especially pleasing for Reds coach Clare Carson.
“We are delighted with how the game went, I thought we thoroughly dominated,” she said.
“Credit to Cork, they pushed us hard and had some success down the flanks but otherwise I think we controlled things well.
“We had 16-year-old Katie Markey making a start for us and doing really well. I thought Abbie Magee was outstanding, along with Caitlin McGuinness whose work-rate was second to none and she got a deserved goal too.”
The hosts took full advantage of home comforts at Solitude and began at full throttle, pressing Cork into their own penalty area in the opening minutes.
The visitors did manage to impose themselves sporadically throughout the first half with efforts from both Christina Dring and Chloe Atkinson.
With 12 minutes on the clock, the NIFL side struck the opener all too easily, Danielle Maxwell providing the ammunition via a corner and the ever-threatening McGuinness rising highest above the goalkeeper to head home and make it 1-0.
Atkinson had Cork’s best chance of the half, a corner not properly cleared falling to her feet six yards out, but the Belfast side gave her no time to settle and managed to clear the ball to safety.
Cliftonville almost had the perfect start to the second half as the dangerous Magee pressed down the right, her cutback finding captain Marissa Callaghan who got a first time shot away only to see Abby McCarthy react quickly in goal for the Rebels, her left boot preventing a second goal.
Maxwell was next to go close, her lobbed effort going over the bar before herself and Vicky Carleton saw efforts blocked as Cork defended heroically.
Despite pushing hard, the home side could not force a second goal and as the game reached a conclusion it appeared that Cork were all but out of ideas and time.
In the other semi-final, Galway ended their game victorious after a penalty shoot-out, the game finishing 1-1.
Rianna Jarrett gave the Youths the lead before Kate Thompson equalised for United.
Claudia Keenan was the hero in the penalty shoot-out to send Galway through to what will surely be a fantastic final between the top two sides on the island.
