Riada reach dizzy Heights

Riada FC will play Ballymoney Olympic in the quarter finals of the Constitution Cup, after defeating Heights FC in a game that was closer than the scoreline suggests.

Riada scored three late goals to finally shake off the challenge of the Coleraine side.

Riada dominated the first half and Heights were restricted to a couple of long range shots. Raymond McCann was in inspirational form and he opened the scoring on fifteen minutes.

The tricky striker took the ball past two defenders and finished neatly. McCann was also on hand to finish off the second goal, when he tapped in from close range after a very good team move. Dean McClernon won the ball in his own half and a move involving four other Riada players ended, when McLernon squared for McCann.

Half time: Riada FC 2 – 0 Heights

Sloppy defending allowed a heights forward possession inside the box, he was brought down and a penalty was awarded and then confidently despatched.

This lifted the Heights team and they had more of the possession and territory. At this point that man McCann scored his best goal to complete his hat-trick. He received the ball thirty yards from goal, jinked his way past three defenders and slotted home to make it 3-1 on 65 minutes.

Heights hit back again ten minutes later. The ball was given away cheaply, and a Heights forward scored a great goal from twenty yards out.

At 3-2 and with twenty minutes left, the game was finely balanced.

Riada needed two substitutions to take the game away from Heights. Skinny Duffy, who has been out for three months with a fractured leg, scored a fabulous thirty yard free kick, on 80 minutes, and two minutes later, Danny McMullan was on hand to score after good work down the right from Duffy and Mark McKane.

A defence splitting pass from Ty Armstrong on 88 minutes, allowed McKane to make it 6-2, and with that send Riada through to the quarter finals.

Riada FC play Ballymoney Olympic in the league on Saturday, Riada remain unbeaten after being awarded three points from the match against Magherafelt Reds, who admitted to having played an ineligible player in their game against Riada.