Irish Premiership: Linfield held by Glenavon as Cliftonville beat Coleraine

Linfield missed the chance to regain top spot in the Irish Premiership as they drew 2-2 with Glenavon.

Glentoran relinquished a two goal lead for a second game in a row as they drew 2-2 with Carrick Rangers at the Oval.

Dungannon Swifts and Crusaders played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Stangmore Park.

Last-gasp Glenavon goal denies Blues a late win

A late Aaron Prendergast goal rescued a point for the Lurgan Blues in a dramatic game at Mourneview Park.

Goals from Stephen Fallon and Darragh McBrien for Linfield were twice cancelled out by James Doona and Prendergast for the hosts, who were good value for their point.

The deadlock was broken after just two minutes as Kyle McClean threaded a perfectly weighted pass through the spine of the Glenavon defence, with Fallon latching onto the pass before taking the ball around Gareth Deane and passing into an empty net from an acute angle.

After a period of 15 minutes of sustained pressure, Glenavon found an equaliser on 33 minutes through the lively Doona. McClean made a costly error in his own box, which Doona took full advantage of to level the game.

The Blues thought they had snatched all three points right at the death as second half substitute McBrien powered his header home in the 88th minute.

It wasn’t to be the winning goal however, as Prendergast pounced following Peter Campbell’s strike that struck the post to tuck the ball home from a yard out.

Linfield are now a point behind leaders Larne in the title race.

Reds ease past Bannsiders

Ten-man Cliftonville kept pace with the leading pack with a comfortable home win.

First half goals from Ronan Hale and Shea Kearney gave the Reds a 2-0 half-time lead, but Jamie McGonigle pulled a goal back for the visitors five minutes after half-time.

However, second half strikes from Sam Ashford and Rory Hale secured the points for Cliftonville.

The hosts went in front after just 11 minutes and it’s a goal Coleraine goalkeeper Rory Brown won’t want to see again.

The former Glenavon man lost his footing as he attempted to clear from Lyndon Kane’s pass, allowing Hale to nip in and roll the ball into an empty net.

They doubled their lead in the 22nd minute, this time Hale turned provider, cutting the ball back into the path of Kearney, who coolly sidefooted the ball past a helpless Brown.

Coleraine pulled a goal back soon after the restart as Matthew Shevlin forced a fine save out of David Odumosu with a close range header from a Conor McKendry cross but, McGonigle was on hand to fire home the rebound.

The visitors’ joy was short-lived, however, as the Reds restored their two goal advantage just two minutes later.

Patrick Burns’ long throw caused panic in the visitors’ defence, but Ashford kept his cool to arrow a low drive past Brown from a narrow angle.

Skipper Rory Hale sealed a comfortable win with his side’s fourth, curling his right footed effort off the base of the post and into the back of the net .

The only blemish on a good day for Jim Magilton’s men was the second half sending off of defender Odhran Casey after he picked up two yellow cards.

Glens squander two goal lead again

Glentoran had a penalty appeal waved away on 15 minutes when Daire O’Connor appeared to be impeded by defender Benjamin Buchanan-Rolleston, just as the winger was about to shoot.

The home side eventually did take the lead five minutes later when Bobby Burns’ 25-yard shot through a ruck of players zipped past Carrick goalkeeper Ross Glendinning.

Glentoran doubled their advantage nine minutes before the interval when David Fisher collected a pass and spun away from defender Cameron Stewart before finding the bottom corner with a crisp finish from just outside the penalty area.

Carrick pulled a goal back on 67 minutes when Nedas Maciulaitis laid the ball back to the on-rushing Andy Micthell, who smashed a screamer of a shot beyond Ollie Webber and into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.

The visitors completed a remarkable turnaround on 83 minutes when Danny Gibson crossed to the near post where Curtis Allen applied the deftest of touches, with the ball going in off the inside of the post.

Spoils shared at Stangmore Park

Ben Kennedy opened the scoring in the 28th minute for Crusaders with his ninth goal of the season after the midfielder curled the ball past a helpless Declan Dunne from the edge of the area after being teed up by Jordan Forsythe.

The Swifts were back on level terms seven minutes after the restart. Andy Mitchell rose highest in the area to head home past Jonny Tuffey following Leo Alves’s inviting cross from a Swifts corner.

Rodney McAree’s side must have felt they had secured the three points in the 89th minute when substitute Joe Moore raced clear of the visiting defence as the winger latched onto Kealan Dillon’s through ball before firing past the experienced Tuffey.

There was still time for late drama as Kennedy would grab his second of the afternoon in stoppage time.

The midfielder poked home Jay Boyd’s cross to break Dungannon’s hearts and rescue a point for the Crusaders, who ended their five-game losing streak.

It will be the hosts who will be disappointed with a point having spurned numerous chances, the biggest coming in the 24th minute when Dillon failed to convert from six-yards out after Tuffey expertly pushed his effort onto the post.