Conor McMenamin's hat-trick keeps Cliftonville in title frame

He opened the scoring on seven minutes and, after his side had their numbers reduced with Liam Bagnall’s dismissal, made it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time.

Michael Smith pulled one back for the Gers, who couldn’t believe their luck when home keeper Richard Brush produced an outrageous stop to prevent Lloyd Anderson levelling 11 minutes from time.

Within 90 seconds of that intervention, the Reds wrapped things up when McMenamin found the net from the penalty spot to narrow the gap between their fifth-placed selves and Linfield at the top of the Danske Bank Premiership to just four points.

Bidding to mark the first anniversary of his appointment with the victory that could re-energise his side’s fading title hopes, home chief Paddy McLaughlin made three changes from the side that overcame Rathfriland Rangers in the Irish Cup at the weekend.

Though Thomas Maguire was ruled out with injury, fit-again skipper Chris Curran found himself back in the side for the first time since last month’s loss to the same opponents, while McMenamin and Brush were also restored to the Reds’ XI.

Carrick likewise welcomed a number of fresh faces to their team, with Smith, Daniel Magill, Kyle Cherry and Liam Hassin – none of whom started Saturday’s thumping by Crusaders – thrown into the action alongside Lloyd Anderson, whose super sub heroics had been the difference when the Gers locked horns with the Reds just over a fortnight ago.

Both teams also carried significant firepower on the bench, with January recruit Michael McCrudden kept in reserve by Cliftonville, while visiting chief Niall Currie’s subs included deadline day loan signing Alexander Gawne, who had netted the only goal of parent club Coleraine’s clash with the Reds just eight days earlier.

The hosts almost took a sixth minute lead when McMenamin scrambled just wide from Levi Ives’ corner but the same player made no mistake just 60 seconds later when he took Conor McDermott’s free-kick out of the air and spun inside before rolling the ball past exposed keeper Harry Doherty.

Cliftonville had looked sharp in fits and starts going forward but saw their momentum slowed on 29 minutes when Bagnall was given his marching orders following an altercation with Cherry in the middle of the park.

After barging into the midfielder in typically assertive style, Bagnall continued with a series of aggressive chops at the ball, which referee Jamie Robinson determined sufficient to flash a straight red card in his direction.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Cliftonville doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when Gormley did week to eek out some space for himself on the right and rolled the ball across for McMenamin to find the bottom corner.

That there was precious little to report in the second period was good news for the hosts as they sought to hold on for their first league win since New Year’s Day – that was until Smith popped up to convert Lee Chapman’s delivery and breathe fresh hope into Carrick’s ambitions of taking something from the game.

They looked certain to make it 2-2 on 79 minutes when Anderson got on the end of a left wing delivery and planted a firm header goalwards, only for Brush’s flying save to turn the ball against the woodwork.

The importance of that save was underlined less than two minutes later when the Reds added the third goal that made sure of the points.

McMenamin’s defence-splitting pass put Gormley in the clear and, when he was cleaned out by Doherty, McMenamin stepped up to stroke home the resulting penalty and lay claim to the matchball.

CLIFTONVILLE: Brush, McDermott, Ives, Harney, C Curran, R Curran, Bagnall, Doherty, Gormley, McMenamin, Donnelly. Subs: Dunne, Harkin, Foster (McMenamin, 87 mins), McCrudden (Gormley, 89 mins), Rocks (Doherty, 90 mins), McCurry.

CARRICK: Doherty, Neale, Surgenor, Rodgers, Chapman, Magill, Smith, Cherry, Hassin, Murray, Anderson. Subs: Nicholl, Carson, Reynolds (Murray, 87 mins), Colligan, Dunne, Gawne (Cherry, 66 mins).

REFEREE: Jamie Robinson (Portadown)