CURRAN AND IVES SEE REDS THROUGH
A goal in each half for Cliftonville was enough to secure the win against HW Welders in this BetMcLean League Cup second round tie.
Much of the early pressure came from the Reds against their Lough 41 Championship counterparts at Solitude with Ryan Curran striking going close within the first five minutes, but seen his effort come back off the post.
On 35 minutes, Welders goalkeeper Ben McCauley did well to save a fine goal-bound Aaron Donnelly free-kick.
Cliftonville looked certain to score but failed to make the breakthrough as Odhran Casey firstly headed against the post and then could only watch on as his follow-up get cleared off the line following McDonagh’s corner.
It didn’t take long though for Cliftonville to take a deserved lead on 40 minutes as Ryan Curran made his effort count by firing home the loose ball from another Jamie McDonagh’s corner.
Paddy McLaughlin’s Cliftonville continued to apply much of the pressure into the second half but could not find the cutting edge for a second goal as it wasn’t until 80 minutes that Levi Ives went closest to doubling the lead with a rasping effort that cannoned off the crossbar.
Undeterred Ives bounced back three minutes later to score the second goal to ensure passage to the last sixteen of the BetMcLean League Cup, curling a fine free-kick into the top corner, giving the goalkeeper no chance.
Cliftonville: McNicholas, R. Curran, McDonagh, Foster, Lowe, Donnelly, Casey, Turner, Gallagher, Coates, Kearns subs Dunne (not used), Ives (replaced Donnelly 59), C. Curran (replaced McDonagh 81), O'Neill (replaced R. Curran 72), Doherty (replaced Foster 59), Gormley (replaced Lowe 59), Scannell (not used)
HW Welders: McCauley, McMillan, McCarthy, Spence, Byers, Tommons, McComb, Boyd, Harris, Murray, Nelson subs Dornan (not used), Graham (replaced Tommons 65), McLellan (replaced Murray 77), Henry (replaced Byers 46), Anderson (replaced McComb 65), McMurtry (replaced Nelson 77)
Substitution 
Substitution 
