Cliftonville FC lost to Ballymena United 1-0 in a Premiership match where they battled for over 45 minutes with ten men. The defeat at Solitude on Saturday leaves the Reds ninth in the table with 12 points from 10 games, a stark ten points behind the league leaders.
Paul Stanfield, making his first Premiership start at 17 years old, was sent off just before half-time after receiving a second yellow card. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Cliftonville created the best openings of the first half, with Rhyss Campbell striking the post. Manager Jim Magilton shifted to a 3-4-2 shape after the break, and his side generated two fantastic chances to score. Liam McStravick was denied by goalkeeper David Walsh, and Brian Healy saw a close-range effort blocked by Kodi Lyons-Foster.
Key Moments
Ballymena United's winner arrived after 58 minutes through Igor Rutkowski, who scored his 16th league goal of the season. Cliftonville's frustration was compounded deep into stoppage time when a collision between Walsh and Healy in the box prompted loud penalty appeals. The referee, Steven Gregg, did not award a spot-kick after consulting his linesman, who indicated the incident was a free kick.
The result extends a difficult run for Cliftonville, who have now lost four of their last five Premiership matches. Their recent form of one win and four defeats has seen them slide down the standings. Jim Magilton said his team's performance, especially after the red card, deserved more from the game and questioned the late decision not to award a penalty. He pointed to the team's resilience, noting they had limited Ballymena to just one shot on target in the entire second half and created the better chances, but were ultimately punished for not taking them.
Magilton confirmed the team will now focus on their next fixture, a trip to face league leaders Coleraine on 10 October. The manager stated his side must quickly regroup and find a way to convert their opportunities, having failed to score in their last two matches despite accumulating a total of 172 goal minutes from their created chances across those games.
First reported at Cliftonville Football Club
