Pain turns to glory as Crusaders battle back for Irish Cup semi-final joy

In a dramatic North Belfast semi-final showdown against Cliftonville at a bouncing Windsor Park, goals from Ross Clarke and skipper Billy Joe Burns made it an occasion to remember for the boys in red and black.

Cliftonville got off to the best possible start with Joe Gormley firing them into an early lead – his 21st of the season – but their joy was short-lived.

The result also nudged the Crues a step closer to European football – they missed out on the lucrative benefits for the past two years.

It also meant that they torpedoed Cliftonville’s ambitions of securing an historic triple trophy success this season.

Having already won the League Cup, Paddy McLaughlin’s side were looking to end 43 years of Irish Cup agony, but once again the Red Army trooped home disappointed. The wait goes on...

They must now focus on trying to reel in David Healy’s Linfield at the top of the Premiership table. Although the Blues hold a four-point lead, that can be cut to one, should the Reds win at Portadown on Tuesday night.

Gormley required merely eight minutes to forge his team into the lead.

Jordan Forsythe managed to hoof a Kris Lowe cross off the line, but when Levi Ives drilled in a low ball from the left channel, the big striker poked home.

Crues defender Aidan Wilson almost gifted the Reds a second when his attempted header to goalkeeper Jonny Tuffey almost played in Paul O’Neill, only for the defender to get back and atone for his error.

The Shore Road boys had their first sniff of goal on 19 minutes when another error, this time from Ronan Doherty, gifted Paul Heatley a chance, only for goalkeeper Luke McNicholas to come off with a smart save.

Cliftonville - quick and sharp on the break - threatened again when the lively O’Neill produced a little bit of magic on the right before threading a superb pass to Gormley, but Tuffey was out like a flash to save.

The Reds had the ball in the net again on 27 minutes when Lowe’s tantalising cross was bulleted into the net, off the underside of the crossbar, by O’Neill - but his joy soon tuned to dismay as he had strayed offside.

But with 10 minutes of the half remaining, the Crues were back on terms.

McNicholas, under pressure from Philip Lowry, made a total mess in dealing with Wilson’s cross.

Although Luke Turner attempted to clear, he could only find Clarke, who rocketed home a low shot.

Incredibly, Baxter’s boys were in front seconds before the break. Ben Kennedy’s corner kick was flicked on by Clarke and Burns managed to turn it in at the back post, with the ball possibly taking a deflection off Turner.

Buoyed by those late goals, the Crues upped the tempo after the restart and Burns was right out of luck again on 52 minutes when he met Kennedy’s cross only to see his header loop just wide.

If the first half was filled with quick pace and crunching tackles, the second really never ignited, with the Crues happy to hold on to what they had.

Even when they lost defensive pair Wilson and Daniel Larmour, the Crues were never tested, which will be a huge disappointment for a team that had aspirations of ending their Irish Cup drought.

The Crues, inching towards the final, almost grabbed a killer third four minutes from time when Clarke found Heatley, but his header fizzed over the top.

But it took a wonder save from Tuffey in injury time to prevent the Reds from levelling when O’Neill latched on to a Gormley flick, but the keeper produced a moment of magic.

CLIFTONVILLE: McNicholas, Ives, C.Curran (McDermott, 62), R.Curran, O’Neill, Lowe, Addis, Doherty (Hale, 58), Gormley, Turner, Gallagher.

Subs (not used): McKenna, Harney, Donnelly, Coates, Kearns.

CRUSADERS: Tuffey, Burns, Wilson (O’Rourke, 71), Weir, Lowry, Kennedy, Lecky, Forsythe, Larmour (Hegarty, 78), Heatley, Clarke.

Subs (not used): Doyle, Caddell, O’Rourke, Owens, McMurray, Thompson.

REFEREE: Raymond Crangle.

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