Jamie McGonigle Bags His Fifth Goal in Three Games, And Cliftonville’s Defense Has No Answers

Jamie McGonigle absolutely went off again, bagging his fifth goal in three games as Limavady United edged out Cliftonville 1-0 at the Showgrounds. That’s a huge third win of the season for the Roesiders, while the Reds are now staring down a brutal third straight defeat. What a difference a single player can make, man.

McGonigle’s Absolute Masterclass

Seriously, this dude McGonigle is a revelation for the Roesiders since coming over on loan from Coleraine. He’s been an absolute difference-maker! The first half was all Limavady, with McGonigle right in the thick of it. He took advantage of a truly poor clearance from Cliftonville’s PJ Morrison after Alfie Gaston forced the issue, firing the ball right over the keeper’s head from 20 yards out to get his side on the board. And he wasn’t done! He dragged an effort across the face of goal earlier after a sweet Philip Lowry threaded pass, and then he even clipped the top of the crossbar with an audacious shot from the right side. The Roesiders were full of confidence, with Gaston fizzing a low shot just wide and Ruairi Boorman clipping the side netting and forcing a good save from Morrison. It should’ve been more than one goal before the break!

Cliftonville’s Late Push, But Not Enough

After a dominant first 45, the second half saw the Reds finally try to mount a comeback. Jim Magilton brought in Ben Quinn and Keevan Hawthorne, and they definitely ramped up the pressure. Teenage forward Hawthorne even forced Marty Gallagher into his first meaningful action in the Limavady goal. Dean McMaster came closest to an equalizer, testing Gallagher from 25 yards out, with the Limavady stopper grabbing it at the second attempt. McMaster hit him again with another shot from outside the box around the 80th minute. Then, McClelland looped a header onto the crossbar from a Quinn corner, and had one more shot scooped up by Gallagher right at the end. But it just wasn’t enough. Gallagher stood tall when it mattered, denying the Reds any chance to equalize.

Limavady is clearly in fine form right now, and you gotta feel for Jim Magilton’s Cliftonville squad after that third straight L. The Roesiders are riding high; the Reds need to regroup fast.

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Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.