Women's League Cup Final: Reds rally to seal comeback cup win

Cliftonville produced a brilliant second half comeback to retain the Vbet Women's League Cup at the expense of Glentoran this afternoon.

Brendan Lynch's side found themsevles 2-0 nil down at the break and deservedly so, with Glentoran well on top. But whatever was said at the break by Lynch and his coaching staff certainly worked.

A Caitlin McGuinness double got them level before Marissa Callaghan and sub Carla Devine sealed the victory for the North Belfast side after a fine showing in the second period.

The Glens took the lead just four minutes into the match – and while the goal came following a defensive mistake, the finish was superb.

What looked to be a harmless ball down the left-hand channel wasn’t dealt with by the Cliftonville defence as Fi Morgan’s attempted clearance came back off the unfortunate Orleigha McGuinness to fall into the path of Emily Wilson. The Northern Ireland striker was coolness personified to bear down on goal and curl in a fine effort from a tight angle past Reds keeper Rachael Norney.

The Glens doubled their lead 12 minutes before half-time as Wilson grabbed her second with an even better finish than the first – though there was more than a hint of offside about it.

Cliftonville lost possession just inside the Glentoran half and when the ball fell to Demi Vance wide on the left, the Glens skipper spotted Wilson make a run behind the Cliftonville defence.

It was no more than Kim Turner’s side deserved after a dominant first period that saw them largely in charge of the tie from an attacking perspective. At the other end, they has managed to keep Cliftonville’s biggest threat, Caitlin McGuinness, conspicuously quiet in the first 45 minutes.

However, the Reds started the second half much brighter, and after Teegan Lynch hit the crossbar, they pulled one back three minutes into the half.

Naomi McLaughlin’s though ball found Caitlin McGuinness free for pretty much the first time in the match and she made no mistake with a volleyed finish into the bottom right corner to make it 2-1.

They almost levelled on the hour mark when Naomi McLaughlin made space in the box to shoot, but right at the last moment, Jenna McKearney got a leg in to block the ball out for a corner.

However, from that corner, they did get back to 2-2 and it was McGuinness who was the scorer again.

McLaughlin curled the ball in from the right and McGuinness got across her marker to glance the ball home at the front post to set up an intriguing half an hour.

Cliftonville then completed their comeback six minutes from time.

McLaughlin’s free-kick from midway inside the Glentoran half was curled towards in and when Aimee Neal’s clearance only shot up in the air, the ball fell to Callaghan at the back post, she planted her header into the net, despite the best attempts of Emma McMaster on the line.

Things then went from badk to worse for Glentoran when Kascie Weir was harshly shown a red card by Referee Louise Thompson in stoppage time after what looked to be an innocent collision with Fi Morgan.

Then Cliftonville added a fourth with practically the last action of the game when the impressive McLaughlin broke through on goal and unselfishly squared it to substitute Carla Devine who had the simplest of tasks to sidefoot it into the empty net from six yards out.

MATCH STATS

Cliftonville: Norney, Magee, O’Neill, Morgan, O McGuinness, Callaghan, Carleton (Devine 66), K McGuinness, Lynch, C McGuinness (C), McLaughlin

Subs not used: Watt, McKimm, Markey, Gallagher, Anderson, Thompson

Glentoran: McKinnon, McMaster, Keenan, McKearney, Neal, Caldwell, Vance (C), Moore (Crompton 65), Kerr, Wilson (McKnight 77), Weir

Subs not used: Butler, Bailie, Maguire, Gardner

Referee: Louise Thompson