Cliftonville continue flawless start to Premiership campaign as Joe Gormley strikes once again
Joe Gormley’s second goal in as many matches helped Cliftonville maintain their flawless start to the Premiership campaign following a 1-0 victory over Dungannon Swifts.
Gormley, who is the Reds’ record scorer, pounced in the second-half at Solitude – just a matter of days after his fine finish in a 2-1 weekend win over Glenavon – and continues to limit the impact felt in North Belfast by the summer departures of Ronan Hale, Ben Wilson and Sam Ashford.
Just like last season, Jim Magilton’s men have now won all of their opening three matches of the season and will head into Saturday’s clash against rivals Crusaders full of confidence.
It’ll be a testing month for the Solitude outfit with fixtures against the likes of Glentoran, Coleraine, Linfield and Larne also to come before the end of September.
The first meaningful opportunity for the hosts came through Ruaidhri Donnelly, who returned for this fixture having missed Saturday’s success, as the attacker put the ball into Declan Dunne’s hands with an opportunity to dink the Dungannon goalkeeper.
Donnelly’s return from injury only lasted 28 minutes with the ex-Glentoran forward forced off and was replaced by debutant Ryan Markey – the teenage striker arrived in North Belfast on Saturday from Klub Kildare having also previously been on the books of Bohemians.
Dungannon were only denied an opening goal moments later by the woodwork after Leo Alves met Adam Glenny’s pinpoint cross before Dunne saved Gormley’s header with the 34-year-old in acres of space at the back post.
Shea Gordon, who scored his first Premiership goal since September 2022 at the weekend, had a prime opportunity to double his seasonal tally after running through one-on-one with Dunne, but his effort trickled agonisingly wide of the post.
Having missed that earlier chance, Gormley did find the net in the 65th minute by pouncing after Dunne had parried Gordon’s cross.
The visitors could have levelled in the dying moments with Steven Scott driving forward and unleashing a shot which was deflected into the path of Niall Owens, but his quick reactive effort trickled wide of the Cliftonville post.