FOOTBALL: Glentoran nick it at The Showgrounds

GLENTORAN produced a second half comeback to snatch victory over Coleraine last night to stay in touching distance with Linfield at the top of the league.

Scott Young's side were made to work all the way though against a determined Coleraine side, who went in at the break a goal to the good thanks to Kyle McVey's ninth minute strike from close range.

However second half strikes from Richard Clarke and Johnny Black turned the game on its head and kept the visitors five points behind the Blues at the top.

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The only gripe from what was an entertaining fixture was the performance of referee Mark Courtney, who dished out nine yellow cards in a game which produced very few bad challenges.

Coleraine will point to the loss of influential striker Leon Knight, to what looked like a hamstring injury as having a big bearing on this game.

The little Londoner was causing the Glens backline all sorts of problems in the opening half hour before he limped out of the action on 36 minutes.

On eight minutes Knight showed his class as he teed Aaron Black up with an exquisite touch from Boyce's centre, but the midfielder dragged his shot across the face of goal.

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The deadlock was broken seconds later though as Morris made a hash of claiming Knight's looping header. Under pressure from Boyce he spilled the ball allowing McVey to smash it in to the net off the underside of the bar.

Morris redeemed himself on 17 minutes as he went full stretch to deny Gareth Tommons after Knight had out jumped Leeman from Beverland's long ball.

Coleraine suffered a blow 10 minutes before the break as Knight limped out of the action with what looked like a hamstring injury.

Davey O'Hare had to be alert to push Johnny Black's in swinging cross over the bar on 38 minutes.

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The Bannsiders responded with Harkness going close with a free kick and Darren Boyce hitting the side netting with a header.

Stephen Carson almost doubled his side's advantage two minutes after the restart after Gareth Tommons was upended on the edge of the box. But the winger's free kick beat Morris but also the far post.

Minutes later Aaron Black hobbled out of the action to add to the Bannsiders growing injury list.

The Glens got themselves back on level terms on 57 minutes as Richard Clarke tapped home after seemingly spurning the initial opportunity.

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The midfielder miscued his header from McGovern's centre, but Waterworth squared the ball back to him giving Clarke the simple task of tapping it home from a yard out.

Stephen Carson almost caught Morris out with a shot from over 25 yards just after the hour mark, but the keeper got down well to grasp the dipping effort.

It was the visitors though who grabbed the goal with teenage substitute Peter Steele providing the inspiration. The Larne lad entered the fray on 69 minutes and just two minutes later his cross was fired home by Johnny Black to put the Glens in front.

The Coleraine defence failed to deal with the youngster's deep cross and Black hammered the ball in from a tight angle.

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Former Glentoran man Darren Boyce spurned a great chance to bring things level again on 77 minutes after Scullion had teed him up. But the front man blazed over the bar from the edge of the box.

Andy Waterworth had a let off with 10 minutes to go as he deliberately handled the ball after Fordyce had hit the bar with a header.

Referee Mark Courtney though failed to produce a second yellow for the Glens striker.

Coleraine piled on the pressure in the closing stages throwing big defender Marc Mukendi up top.

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And they almost grabbed what would have been a deserved share of the spoils in injury time. Darren Boyce flicked on Carson's in swinging free kick, but agonisingly for the Bannsiders Paul Leeman somehow headed the ball off the line.