Jordan Owens fires Crusaders up the table

Jordan Owens’ first half header was enough to give Crusaders all three points against Coleraine and move his side up to second place in the table.
Stephen Baxter embraces Crusaders match winner Jordan Owens at the endStephen Baxter embraces Crusaders match winner Jordan Owens at the end
Stephen Baxter embraces Crusaders match winner Jordan Owens at the end

The big front man dispatched Jordan Forsythe’s pin point header with 20 minutes gone to give the visitors a deserved lead.

Coleraine responded after the break but they couldn’t find a way past a resolute Crues rearguard.

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Lyndon Kane picked up the first booking of the night after he upended former team-mate Jamie McGonigle with only ten minutes on the clock. Declan Caddell was quick to follow him into the referee’s notebook after an altercation with Crues old boy Jamie Glackin.

The first shot in earnest came on 18 minutes as Eoin Bradley found space 20 yards from goal, but he failed to get enough power on his shot and it rolled wide of Gerard Doherty’s goal.

Two minutes later the deadlock was broken as Jordan Forsythe whipped a great ball into the box for Jordan Owens to head past Chris Johns from close range.

The Bannsiders were almost level two minutes later as Billy Joe Burns deflected the ball on to his own post before James McLaughlin drew a good save out of Doherty from a snap shot.

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The home side had keeper Johns to thanks seconds later though as McGonigle got in behind Gareth McConaghie, but the Coleraine stopper blocked his shot with his foot.

David Cushley was next to test Johns, but he did well to hold on to the wide man’s low effort. The returning Ben Doherty had his namesake in the visitors goal at full stretch with a long-range effort that whistled past the upright on 33 minutes.

As the game closed in on half time Heatley stung Johns’ palms before Owens flashed a shot across the face of goal.

Coleraine started the second half with more purpose. Josh Carson found the side netting from a deep Traynor cross four minutes after the restart.

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The midfielder then had an effort deflected over with Doherty stranded.

The Bannsiders thought they had the equaliser on 61 minutes after a series of dangerous corner.

McLaughlin looked to have got the final touch on Doherty’s corner, but O’Rourke managed to hack the ball off the line.

The hosts were upping the pressure with Stephen Lowry glancing a header wide of the target with 20 minutes to go.

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The Crues should have grabbed a second on 71 minutes as Heatley robbed the ball off Stephen O’Donnell, but Johns easily saved his weak shot.

Oran Kearney introduced new signing Matthew Fitzpatrick from the bench in the search for a goal, and the former Antrim GAA man almost got on the end of a Glackin knock down with 15 to go.

Carson then had a close range effort charged down at the visitors stood firm at the back.

A neat passing move at the other end saw Paul McElroy find space for a shot, but he lashed it wide of the target.

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Coleraine: Johns, Kane, Traynor, McConaghie, Canning (O’Donnell 54), Carson, Lowry, Doherty (Gawne 70), Glackin, McLaughlin (Fitzpatrick 70), Bradley.

Subs: Gallagher, Douglas, McGuckin.

Crusaders: Doherty, Burns, Lowry, McGonigle (McElroy 83), Cushley (Thompson 67), Caddell, Forsythe, O’Rourke, Owens, Brown, Heatley.

Subs: O’Neill, Hegarty, Beverland, Ruddy, McGinley.

Referee: Ian McNabb

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