CRUES AND GLENS SHARE SEAVIEW SPOILS

Crusaders and Glentoran couldn't be separated after a frantic encounter at Seaview.

The Glens created the best chances in the opening half-an-hour or so, with Luke McCullough rising highest to head just wide from a Bobby Burns corner while Jay Donnelly posed a threat soon after with a run down the left although his subsequent effort was saved by Jonny Tuffey.

Then, not long after that, Junior Uzokwe somehow failed to find the net from barely two yards out after Donnelly had sent the ball over from the right.

The Crues might have opened the scoring with their first decent chance of the afternoon only for Paul Heatley to fizz a curling effort just wide after receiving an Adam Lecky pass.

But the deadlock was broken in Glentoran's favour on 35 minutes. A Marcus Kane header came back off the crossbar, with Junior unable to convert the rebound before the ball eventually fell to Donnelly who made no mistake.

Crusaders almost crafted an immediate response when Heatley turned the ball home at the back post from Billy Joe Burns' cross from the right but this was ruled out offside.

Stephen Baxter's side did equaliser on the stroke of half-time, however, when Philip Lowry fired a right-foot effort into the bottom corner from around 20 yards from goal.

However the home side were reduced to ten men soon after when Josh Robinson received his marching orders for a late challenge on Donnelly.

The Crues were presented with a glorious opportunity to seize the advantage when Aidan Wilson was penalised for handball in the box but, from the resultant spot-kick, Ben Kennedy was denied by Aaron McCarey who dived the right way to keep the ball out.

And Kennedy was thwarted again later in the game after he turn and shot from the edge of the box was cleared off the line by substitute Rory Donnelly.

 

Crusaders: Tuffey, Burns, Lowry, Kennedy, Lecky, Forsythe, O’Rourke, Larmour, Heatley, Robinson, Clarke subs Kerr, Teelan, Kennedy, Owens, Winchester, Smith, Anderson

Glentoran: McCarey, Kane, McCullough, Wilson, Burns, J. Donnelly, O’Connor, Sule, Palmer, Kelly, Uzokwe subs Webber, McCartan, R. Donnelly, Murphy, Fisher, Walsh, McGinn