MALLON AND HALE ON TARGET AT SOLITUDE
A goal in each half helped Cliftonville defeat Glentoran at Solitude.
Stephen Mallon opened the scoring after 11 minutes with a low, drilled effort after a Shea Kearney cross fell for him.
Shay McCartan might have levelled for the Glens around the half-hour mark only to see his effort deflected over the top while, in first half stoppage time, Paddy McClean had a volley well kept out by Nathan Gartside.
After the break Ben Wilson fired just wide from a good position and then, moments later, was denied one-on-one with Aaron McCarey.
But Cliftonville did double their lead on 58 minutes after Ronan Hale sent Aaron McCarey the wrong way from the spot, awarded after a handball in the box.
To their credit the Glens kept pushing, coming close to pulling one back only for Kirk McLaughlin's curling effort to come back off the crossbar.
Cliftonville: Gartside, Pepper, Kenny, Rory Hale, Mallon, Doherty, Burns, Casey, Ronan Hale, Kearney, Wilson subs Odumosu, Curran, Lowe, Jordan, Gordon, Gormley, McGuinness
Glentoran: McCarey, McCartan, Marshall, O’Connor, Sule, Clucas, Murphy, McClean, Russell, McGinn, Uzokwe subs Webber, Kane, McCullough, Burns, Lindsay, McLaughlin, McToal
Substitution 
Substitution 
