Last Time Out

WARRENPOINT Town would inflict the Bannsiders’ first loss of the season as Alan O’Sullivan’s double helped Barry Gray’s side to all three points in November…

Date:

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Result:

Warrenpoint Town 3-1 Coleraine

Goals – O’Sullivan (’47 mins & ’76 mins), Doyle (’90 mins); Glackin (’50 mins)

Report:

COLERAINE suffered their first defeat of the season against Warrenpoint Town as a double from Alan O’Sullivan proved to be a decisive at Milltown…

Boss Oran Kearney named an unchanged side from the win against Glenavon as James McLaughlin partnered Eoin Bradley in attack, with Steven Douglas also retaining his place in central defence.

Coleraine would create the first opportunity on goal after just two minutes as Bradley chested the ball into the path of McLaughlin. The striker – who netted a hat-trick in the win against the Lurgan Blues last weekend – could only fire over the crossbar from 30 yards. At the other end, Warrenpoint worked the ball well at the edge of the box with O’Sullivan being denied at close range by Chris Johns.

On 14 minutes, Coleraine thought they had made the breakthrough as a clever ball found Lyndon Kane on the right-hand side and his driven cross was deflected inches wide by a covering defender. Just before the half hour mark, there would be further frustration for the Stripes as McLaughlin slipped a pass into the onrushing Stephen Lowry, and as his shot looked certain to test the ‘keeper, Warrenpoint defender Anto Reilly made a vital interception to block the effort.

If that defending was good, there was better yet to come as Kane was once again denied by a vital block by the home defence, with McLaughlin unable to steer the rebound on target. On the stroke of half-time, Coleraine missed a glorious opportunity to take the lead as Jamie Glackin released Kane through on goal but he was denied at close range by ‘Point stopper Mark Byrne.

It didn’t take long for the first goal to arrive after the break as Steven Douglas was adjudged to have fouled Lorcan Forde inside the box. A confident O’Sullivan stepped up and he drilled his penalty beyond the reach of Johns and into the bottom corner.

However, Coleraine responded in style and restored parity within three minutes as the ball landed to Kane from a corner-kick. The full-back looked up and spotted an unmarked Glackin who cleverly guided the ball into the net for his third goal of the season. A minute later, the same player almost added a second as his effort looped over Byrne and looked destined to find the net, until Reilly made an acrobatic clearance off the goal line.

The ‘Point were looking dangerous on the counter attack and they looked destined to take the lead as a devastating attack led the ball landing at the feet of Forde, and just as the on-loan Linfield man was destined to shoot, Glackin made a goal saving tackle.

Oran Kearney brought on Nedas Maciulaitis and Ian Parkhill in a bid to find the crucial second goal, but it would be Warrenpoint who would take the lead on 76 minutes as a long ball found the run of O’Sullivan and he beat the offside trap and powered past Johns.

Coleraine would send crosses in the box and introduced Emmett McGuckin from the bench, but would be on the receiving end of a sucker punch at the death as the ball presented itself to Brandon Doyle inside the area and he found the bottom corner.

Line-ups:

WARRENPOINT TOWN: Byrne, Bennett (Doyle ’17 mins), Reilly, McVeigh, O’Sullivan, Young (McCann ’90+3 mins), Watters, Cowan, Forde, Wallace, Mullen.

Subs Not Used: Turker (GK), O’Kane, Murnaghan.

COLERAINE: Johns, Kane, Canning, Douglas (McGuckin ’80 mins), Jarvis, Doherty (Parkhill ’71 mins), Lowry, McLaughlin, Bradley (Macuilaitis ’59 mins, Traynor, Glackin.

Subs Not Used: Gallagher (GK), McConaghie, Gawne, Whiteside.

Referee:

Keith Kennedy