Carrick advance but Braniff stretchered off

The rugged stopper, operating in a right-back role, was stretchered off midway through the first-half of the tie against Dromara Village with suspected ligament damage after falling awkwardly and was later transported by ambulance to hospital.

Paul Prenter came on as Braniff’s replacement and while Carrick adjusted, the visitors enjoyed their best spell of the game going in front through James McDonagh’s close range finish in the 33rd minute after his first attempt had rebounded of the upright.

It should have been all square six minutes later after Tony Anderson’s clever dink over defensive heads fell to unmarked centre-back Davy McAlinden but he lobbed the bouncing ball over the advancing goalkeeper and narrowly over the target from 10-yards.

Ross Preece preserved his side’s slender lead a minute before the interval with a save to his right from Anto Lagan’s downward header.

Carrick were back in contention almost immediately after the restart. Paul Heatley drew defenders with a diagonal run from right to left before nonchalantly switching the play with a gentle flick of his right boot to allow Glen Hand to drill past Preece from inside the 18-yard box.

Dromara survived further scares before Lagan put the hosts in front in the 51st minute with his 14th of the campaign. There appeared to be little on when the Carrick centre-foward took possession 20-yards out but he quickly evaded two challenges before blasting the ball through the narrowest of gaps and into the right corner of the net.

There were several anxious moments at the other end after Ciaran Stitt’s hesitancy in the home goal provided Aaron Thompson with a chance but the Rangers netminder recovered with a fine parry before full-back Chris Murray tidied up on the line.

Stitt was also a relieved onlooker after Kevin Johnson rattled the crossbar with a stunning strike from 30-yards.

Carrick closed out the game in the 66th minute with Heatley heading in his team’s third on the end of a Hand cross from the right.

Preece performed heroics in the Village goal to prevent a rout before Stitt was called into action again on the stroke of full-time with a brilliant fingertip response to Paul Johnston’s sweetly struck half-volley.

Result: Carrick Rangers 3 (Hand, Lagan, Heatley) Dromara Village 1 (McDonagh).

Carrick Rangers: Stitt, Braniff, Murray, McClean, O’Kane, McAlinden, Hand, T Anderson, Lagan, Heatley, Harmon. Subs: Deans, N Anderson (for Heatley), Rafferty (for Lagan), Prenter (for Braniff), McKane (gk).

Dromara Village: Preece, Agnew, Johnston, J McDonagh, O’Gorman, G McDonagh, Jess, McNamee, O’Connor, Johnson, Thompson. Subs: Close (for Thompson), C Doherty, G Doherty, P McDonagh.

Referee: Andrew Davey (Bangor).