Crusaders Climb Above Cliftonville

Crusaders climbed up to 4th in the Carling Premiership tonight with a vital one nil win at home to a poor Glenavon. Despite Cliftonville's two games in hand over Crusaders in the Northern Ireland premiership they still dropped to fourth tonight after a Michael Halliday winner in the 69th minute mark. Glenavon travelled to Seaview needing a win if they were to boast a top four spot. Crusaders started off clearly the better side but stumbled a bit near the half hour mark when defender David Magowan was sent off for pulling the shirt of Glenavon striker Mark Miskimmin, the red shown as Magowan was last man. Miskimmin was amongst more controversy when he was pushed down in the Crusaders box, soft maybe but they have certainly been given before. Ten men maybe but with the way Glenavon played it would be difficult to notice Crusaders had a defender missing! The important Crusaders goal eventually came around twenty-five minutes after the restart when a wide cross headed on by captain Colin Coates hit the bar and fell to striker Michael Halliday. The goal just thirty-five centimetres away from the Glenavon goal line proved what a good goal poacher is, right place at the right time. If you were to think there's a chance for Glenavon with a man more then you were to think again, Crusaders continued they're attacking intent despite Glenavon needing the points.  Glenavon's closest chance to equalising was right at the last, a Glenavon corner whipped into defender Jay Magee was headed an inch or two wide of Kennan's post and Crusaders held on for the win to take then only one point away from Glentoran. After the match an interview with Glenavon manager Marty Quinn produced such lines as 'abismal' and 'I was embarresed to watch us'. I think that shows a poor performance by top 6 hopefulls when the man in charge has a go like that. Its not all bad for Glenavon at the moment though, as they sit in 5th place in the Northern Ireland Carling premiership.