Chris Johns (GK), Ben Hall, Jimmy Callacher, Conor Pepper, Matthew Clarke, Jamie Mulgrew, Chris Shields, Kyle McClean (Ethan Devine 84'), Kirk Millar (Jake Hastie 60'), Chris McKee (Eetu Vertainen 60'), Jordan Stewart
Aaron McCarey (GK), Rhys Marshall, Caolan Marron, Patrick McClean, Bobby Burns, Hrvoje Plum, Seanan Clucas, Dillon Powers, Jay Donnelly, Conor McMenamin, Michael O'Connor
The destiny of the Gibson Cup is now out of Linfield’s hands following a draw against rivals Glentoran in front of a bumper crowd at Windsor Park this evening. Cliftonville know that a win against Larne tomorrow would see them move to the top of the table with three matches to go as Linfield are two points ahead having played a game more. Meanwhile, tonight’s draw sees Glentoran remain in third, six points off Linfield.
It was a game of two halves. Although Glentoran had the better of the first half, Linfield had a bright opening few minutes and were first to threaten with a well-worked overload on the left when Stewart found the overlapping Matthew Clarke whose low cross was cut out just as it was set to reach Kirk Millar. The latter delivered the resulting corner but Ben Hall couldn’t quite get a touch on it.
The Glens had a good shape about them off the ball which made them difficult to play through and when the ball was turned over they broke quickly. Glentoran were unlucky after five minutes when Hrvoje Plum’s inswinging corner was met by former Linfield forward Michael O’Connor whose clever near-post flick struck the woodwork.
Glentoran’s recent recruit, American midfielder Dillon Powers was impressive and displayed a great passing range, particularly when he played an inch-perfect ball over the top to Jay Donnelly who timed his run well beyond the Linfield backline, but he was unable to get the contact to take advantage of a great pass.
As Mick McDermott’s men put the pressure on midway through the first half, O’Connor struck the woodwork again, this time seeing his low left-footed strike clip the outside of Chris Johns’ post. Minutes later, Linfield ‘keeper Johns made a brilliant save when Glentoran’s Conor McMenamin went through on goal on the counter-attack to see his low shot excellently saved by Johns down low to his right.
Although it had been mostly Glentoran probing for the opener, it was Linfield who opened the scoring. The goal came at the Kop End after 32 minutes when Jordan Stewart’s cross-come-shot from the left in search of Chris McKee brought uncertainty for the Glentoran defender and goalkeeper who watched on hesitantly as the ball nestled in the far corner. It was a fortuitous goal but Jordan Stewart was excellent and seemed to cover every blade of grass on his first start in two months.
Regrettably for Linfield, their lead wasn’t well preserved as Glentoran hit back just four minutes later to draw level. Blues captain Jamie Mulgrew was uncharacteristically dispossessed in midfield when doubled up on which allowed Seanan Clucas to get on the ball and send Conor McMenamin 1v1 against Jimmy Callacher in the inside right channel. McMenamin was ruthless as he set himself before smashing the ball around Callacher and into the far corner.
Half Time: Linfield 1-1 Glentoran
David Healy made some changes at half-time, mosht notably changing from a diamond system to a 4-3-3 as Kirk Millar moved out to the wing. This changed the dynamic of the game as the Blues started to play through Glentoran more and Linfield had the better of the second half.
A lot of Linfield’s joy came from the right channel. Chris McKee had a decent effort flash wide after a neat turn when he was found by Conor Pepper in the box. On another occasion Pepper did brilliantly initially as he burst forward and it seemed to open up but with a 2v2 scenario and Chris McKee free to his left, Pepper’s pass had too much on it.
Chris Johns technically didn’t have a save to make in the second half but that’s not to say Glentoran didn’t pose danger once or twice. For example, Hrvoje Plum’s well-struck free-kick from the guts of 30 yards whistled marginally over the crossbar. Conor McMenamin also threatened when he raced away on the break from a Linfield corner but he slammed his shot against the side netting.
Other than that, it was Linfield who were looking likely to score. A double substitution on the hour-mark brought a freshness to the Blues, particularly with the introduction of Eetu Vertainen who always possesses an uncertainty for defenders. The Finnish forward very nearly made an immediate impact when he was found by Mulgrew inside the area and his shot hit the side netting with the goalkeeper rooted to the spot.
Fellow substitute Jake Hastie also almost made his mark, five minutes after his introduction. A cross from Matthew Clarke was hung up to the back post and the Scottish winger’s header was well saved by the diving Aaron McCarey. This came just moments after another big chance as Jordan Stewart cut the ball back for Kyle McClean in the middle and the midfielder’s goalbound shot was blocked on the line by Caolan Marron.
The Blues continued to press in search of a winner and the last big chance came on 86 minutes when Eetu Vertainen picked out Jordan Stewart running through the heart of the Glentoran defence but Stewart’s initial shot was well saved and the follow-up header – which was an awkward opportunity – flashed wide.
It could have been better for Linfield but it could have been worse and only time will tell whether this was a good result or not. For David Healy the focus remains on the difficult fixtures remaining, with a tough trip to Seaview to come on Tuesday to face Crusaders.
Full Time: Linfield 1 – 1 Glentoran
LinfieldFC.com Man of the Match: Jordan Stewart
Match Images
