Blues stay two clear as Stripes edge out Swifts while Warrenpoint sink Crues

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Shayne Lavery - at double for Linfield.

Q Radio Sport

Two Shayne Lavery goals ensured Linfield claimed the points from Cliftonville's visit to Windsor Park.

It finished 2-0 so the Blues maintain their two-point lead over Coleraine, who had a 3-2 win away to Dungannon Swifts.

Meanwhile, Warrenpoint Town beat Crusaders for the first time -  a well-deserved 2-0 victory at Seaview. 

Report from Windsor:
 
A quiet start to proceedings produced little action in front of goal at either end before, on 27 minutes, a powerful Lavery effort drew a save from Aaron McCarey.
 
The Cliftonville keeper was called into action again soon after with a diving save after Mark Stafford headed Niall Quinn's free-kick towards goal while, a few minutes later, Joel Cooper dragged the ball wide at the near post.
 
Linfield continued to look the more likely to score with Jordan Stewart and Jamie Mulgrew both producing goal bound efforts before the break.
 
It took a while for the second half to warm up before Cooper came close with two attempts either side of the hour, one tipped over by McCarey and another saved by his legs.
 
McCarey continued to come to Cliftonville's rescue, denying Lavery and then Jimmy Callacher.
 
But he was finally beaten on 73 minutes when Cooper's cross from the right was nodded home by Lavery from close range.
 
Cliftonville might have levelled with three minutes to go after Paul O'Neill squared the ball to Barry Coffey but he hesitated at the crucial moment to allow Stafford to make a sliding clearance.
 
However, Lavery made sure of the points for Linfield deep into stoppage time with a driven finish after Kirk Millar had played the ball into his path.
 
Linfield: Johns, Stafford, Newberry, Callacher, Stewart, Lavery, Nasseri, Fallon, Mulgrew, Quinn, Cooper subs Moore, Waterworth, Millar, Clarke, McGivern, Pepper, Palmer
 
Cliftonville: McCarey, Breen, O'Reilly, C. Curran, R. Curran, Donnelly, Bagnall, Doherty, Hale, Lowe, O'Neill subs Dunne, Harney, O'Connor, McCrudden, Casey, Kearns, Coffey

 

 

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