IRISH LEAGUE: Darren McAuley hat-trick helps Coleraine ease past Portadown

Coleraine made it another Saturday to forget for Portadown as they ran out 4-0 winners.

A hat-trick from Darren McCauley and another from James McLaughlin upped the pressure on Ronnie McFall.

The home side threatened first with with McLaughlin crashing a shot off the crossbar with only four minutes on the clock.

Portadown responded as Ross Redman took a pot shot from distance on 11 minutes, the ball flicked off Howard Beverland and Michael Doherty reacted well to palmed the ball away.

A minute later Gary Twigg raced clear but his clever shot back across the face of goal was pushed away by Doherty again.

The deadlock was finally broken on 42 minutes and what a goal it was. McCauley linked up with Parkhill and McGonigle, the latter feeding the ball back to the midfielder with a clever back heel, before he expertly fired past Brennan into the bottom corner.

Coleraine picked up in the second half where they left off in the first as they doubled their lead.

Garthe Falconer swung a great ball into the box, and McLaughlin nipped in front of of the defender before flicking a header past a static Brennan.

Two became three just before the hour mark as the Bannsiders hit the Ports on the break again. Ian Parkhill’s perfectly weighted pass fed McCauley, who coolly dinked the ball over the onrushing Brennan.

With 15 minutes to go the wide man completed his hat-trick. He cut in from the left, jinking past several defenders before finishing low past Brennan.

Coleraine: Doherty, Kane, Falconer, Beverland, Watt, Parkhill (Brown 58), McCafferty, Harkin (Higgins 62), McCauley (McGuinness 82), McGonigle, McLaughlin.

Subs: Grissam, McClay.

Goals: McCauley (42, 57, 75), McLaughlin (48)

Portadown: Brennan, Casement, Redman, O’Hara, Breen (Oman 85), Mackle, Ramsey (McAllister 73), Garrett, Parker, Murray (Soares 50), Twigg.

Subs: Miskelly, Mouncey.

Referee: Tim Marshall.