Bet McLean League Cup Final: Cliftonville produce stunning comeback to take the trophy
Cliftonville 4 Coleraine 3 (after extra-time)
Last updated 13th Mar 2022
Doubles from Joe Gormley and Paul O'Neill saw Cliftonville produce a stirring comeback to lift the Bet McLean League Cup at the expense of Cliftonville.
A frankly tepid opening 45 minutes gave way to a barnstorming second period and then another 30 of extra-time.
The Bannsiders had gone 2-0 in front early in the second half and looked in control. But, Paddy McLaughlin's Reds had other ideas and levelled at the death through O'Neill. That came after Gormley had cut the deficit in half.
Coleraine then had James McLaughlin red carded for his part in a touchline scuffle before O'Neill and Gormley saw the North Belfast side over the line.
The first opportunity arrived in the fourth minute - and it went the way of Cliftonville.
Levi Ives curled in a corner from the right flank and Ryan Curran rose highest, but could only direct his header wide of the post.
But the Bannsiders looked lively in the opening exchanges and some foraging from Jamie Glackin led to their first chance of the game.
He intercepted an Ives pass and then outmuscled the Reds captain to cut in from the right. His low centre found Matthew Shevlin 10 yards out, but the striker could only screw his shot high and wide.
After Jamie McDonagh had curled a speculative outside of the boot effort wide just after the quarter of an hour mark, it tool until 10 minutes before the break for them to force Gareth Deane into action.
The Coleraine keeper has been largely redundant for the opening period, but his positioning was correct to grab hold of Rory Hale's 25-yard drive.
A flat first half gave way to a much brighter second and it was Coleraine who took the lead on 57 minutes.
A brilliant marauding run by Lyndon Kane saw him travel all of 50 yards before slipping in Shevlin and he did the rest, holding off his man to slide the ball home under Luke McNicholas to make it 1-0.
And they doubled their lead less than five minutes later.
Stephen Lowry controlled a Jamie Glackin corner from the left before crashing a left-foot drive in off the crossbar. It was a superb first-touch and finish from the experienced midfielder.
But just when it looked like the Reds were dead and buried, up popped Joe Gormley to pull them right back into it.
He came on as a sub on the hour and 12 minutes later, the prolific striker rose high in the box to angle a header past Gareth Deane following Ryan Curran's cross.
Gormley could have levelled matters eight minutes from time when he peeled off his man to get on the end of an Ives diagonal ball, but with Deane off his line, the striker could only head over the bar.
With 30 seconds of normal time remaining, Gormley had another huge opportunity, only to see his goalbound shot blocked by Aaron Traynor. However, they didn't have to wait long.
As the clock hit 90 minutes, a bit of pinball in the Coleraine box saw Gormley's header come back off the bar and Paul O'Neill was on hand to poke it over the line from close range to make it 2-2.
That sent the tie to extra-time and it didn't take long for more drama.
After a melee in front of the South Stand, Referee Andrew Davey showed a straight red card to Coleraine's James McLaughlin. Bannsiders coach Winkie Murphy soon followed for his protestations.
With just four minutes of the first period of extra-time remaining, Deane had to be alert to deny a rasping O'Neill effort to keep 10-man Coleraine level.
But three minutes later, Deane was powerless to do anything about O'Neill's second and Cliftonville's third as they hit the front for the first time in the match.
Chris Curran broke free down the right before cutting the ball back into the path of the diminutive striker and he swept it home from six yards out.
The result was all but secured two minutes into the second period.
The livewire O'Neill robbed Stephen O'Donnell before Ryan Curran took the ball on and put it on a plate for Gormley to sidefoot home and make it 4-2.
Coleraine were given a glimmer of hope in the dying moments of extra-time when substitute Curtis Allen rifled home a fine finish, but it proved to be nothing more than consolation.
And that proved to be that - Cliftonville saw the remainder of the game out to take the trophy.
CLIFTONVILLE: Luke McNicholas, Kris Lowe, Levi Ives, Jonathan Addis, Luke Turner, Christopher Gallagher, Ronan Doherty (Paul O'Neill 70), Rory Hale (Chris Curran 53), Daniel Kearns (Joe Gormley 60), Jamie McDonagh (Colin Coates 113)
Subs not used: Ruadhan McKenna, Conor McDermott, Aaron Donnelly
COLERAINE: Gareth Deane, Lyndon Kane, Aaron Traynor (Curtis Allen 106), Rodney Brown, Stephen O'Donnell, Stephen Lowry, Patrick Kelly, Josh Carson, Conor McKendry (Ronan Wilson 72), Matthew Shevlin (Eoin Bradley 87), Jamie Glackin (James McLaughlin 78)
Subs not used: Martin Gallagher, Adam Mullan, Aaron Jarvis
REFEREE: Andrew Davey
ATTENDANCE: 11,103