Cliftonville FC's search for form was dealt another blow in a narrow 0-1 home defeat to Ballymena United at Solitude. The result, a fourth consecutive loss, leaves the Reds ninth in the Premiership with 12 points from 10 games.
Paul Stanfield, making his first Premiership start at 17, was sent off for a second yellow card moments before half-time. Playing with ten men, Cliftonville conceded the only goal in the 58th minute when Ballymena's Igor Rutkowski netted his 16th league strike of the season. The match was a fractious affair, with the referee showing nine yellow cards alongside the red.
Late controversy
Deep into injury time, Cliftonville had a strong claim for a penalty when Liam McStravick went down under a challenge from David Walsh. The linesman initially signalled for a free-kick, a decision that infuriated manager Jim Magilton. "It was an incredible decision not to award a penalty," Magilton said after the match, questioning the officiating in the dying seconds.
The defeat compounds a difficult period for Cliftonville, whose recent form reads four losses from their last five outings. They have scored 12 and conceded 12 this season. You can review the team's challenging upcoming schedule, including a trip to league leaders Coleraine, on our fixtures page and check the latest standings.
Attention now turns to a daunting away fixture against table-topping Coleraine FC on Saturday, 10 October.
First reported at Cliftonville Football Club
