Image source, Pacemaker

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Will Patching congratulates Coleraine goalscorer Joel Cooper

Coleraine breathed fresh life into their Irish Premiership title challenge and simultaneously dealt a serious blow to Linfield's ambitions of retaining their crown by defeating the Blues 3-1 at Ballycastle Road on Tuesday night.

Second-half goals from Joel Cooper, Jamie McGonigle and Will Patching saw the Bannsiders secure three points, Chris McKee the scorer for Linfield with a late penalty.

Coleraine move to within four points of leaders Larne, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Cliftonville, but have two games in hand over Ruaidhri Higgins' side.

David Healy's side have now lost three league games in a row and drop to fifth place in the table behind Dungannon Swifts, who won 1-0 at Glenavon courtesy of a Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe goal.

The victory ends a run of two successive defeats for Coleraine.

Glentoran made it three consecutive victories by coming from behind to beat Portadown 2-1 at the Oval, Pat Hoban netting the decisive strike from the penalty spot.

Bangor came out on top 2-0 at home to Ballymena United and Crusaders, who had Evan Easton sent-off, drew 2-2 with Carrick Rangers at Seaview.

Bannsiders secure vital victory

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Highlights: Coleraine see off Linfield at the Showgrounds

At the Showgrounds, Coleraine should have been ahead inside the opening few minutes but Matthew Shevlin passed up a golden chance to score his 13th of the season.

Cooper did brilliantly to beat his man on the wing before delivering a cross to the back post onto the head of his strike partner.

With the goal at his mercy Shevlin rattled his header off the crossbar and the chance was gone.

Linfield responded and Matthew Fitzpatrick was guilty of missing their best chance following a Coleraine defensive mistake, but he blasted wide of the target when well positioned.

At the other end Chris Johns produced a fine diving save to deny Lewis McGregor just before half-time.

The deadlock was finally broken seven minutes after the restart thanks to one-time Linfield favourite Cooper.

Shevlin did well to get a flick on to a Lyndon Kane punt forward and Cooper did the rest, racing clear of the Linfield defence to plant a left foot shot wide of Johns and into the far corner of the net.

The lead should have been doubled just minutes later when Dean Jarvis picked out Shevlin with a pinpoint cross but Johns produced a fine save at his near post.

But home fans didn't have to wait too long as second half substitute McGonigle scored within moments of replacing Cooper.

Again, Shevlin provided the assist, flicking on a goalkeeper's clearance into the path of the Dungiven man who took a touch before rifling the ball into the bottom corner of the goal.

Linfield were thrown a lifeline in added time when Dean Jarvis handled inside the penalty area and McKee calmly slotted home from 12 yards.

But the final word went to the home side as Patching curled home a delightful effort from the edge of the penalty area to make the points safe and condemn their opponents to three league defeats in a row for the first time in eight years.

Glens bounce back to see off Ports

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Highlights: Glentoran v Portadown

Eamon Fyfe put the Ports in front at the Oval, before MJ Kamson Kamara levelled before half-time. Hoban's spot-kick in the second half sealed the victory for Declan Devine's side.

In a half of very few chances, the first real opportunity up either end resulted in a goal for the visitors.

Ben Quinn played Fyfe through with a disguised through-ball who took the ball in his stride and fired home emphatically into the bottom corner for his ninth league goal of the season.

The Glens upped the tempo after falling a goal behind and were level minutes before half-time thanks to a deflected goal from Kamson Kamara.

Daniel Amos' free-kick was parried away by Aaron McCarey, before Kamson Kamara followed up with a strike and saw his effort nestle in the bottom corner after a fortuitous deflection off Divin Isamala.

The hosts hit the front for the first time from the spot on 58 minutes as Hoban fired home into the bottom left-hand corner after Liam Burt was brought to ground by McCarey, which ended up being the winning goal for the Glens.

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Larne and Reds play out 0-0 draw at Inver

After a slow start at Inver Park, Harry Wilson provided the first shot on goal, curling a left-footed effort from outside the box that drifted just wide of the far post.

As the game began to open up, Gary Haveron's men carved out the best move of the first half when Jordan McEneff slipped Benji Magee in behind, and his first-time lay-off invited Paul O'Neill to shoot, only for the striker to lift his effort over the bar.

Minutes later, McEneff threatened to open the scoring himself as a half-clearance broke his way, but the midfielder's first-time strike from distance failed to trouble the target.

Towards the break, sustained pressure from Jim Magilton's men allowed Jack Keaney space to step out from 25 yards, though his driven effort fell the wrong side of the near post.

At the start of the second half, Keevan Hawthorne's delivery from the left found Conor Falls, whose firm header looked destined for the net until Rohan Ferguson reacted smartly to tip it onto the bar.

As the half wore on, substitute Tomas Cosgrove spotted the run of Matty Lusty and threaded a precise pass through the middle, but the forward's low drive across goal drifted inches beyond the far post.

Deep into injury time, Jim Magilton's men came agonisingly close to a winner when Odhran Casey drilled in a low cross that deflected wickedly off James Simpson and rattled the crossbar with Ferguson beaten.

Swifts beat Glenavon to move fourth

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Highlights: Swifts edge out Glenavon at Mourneview

Glenavon started the game at Mourneview Park in a very positive manner with lots of energy going forward, putting Dungannon Swifts under pressure.

The early momentum resulted in a corner which was met by the head of Paul McGovern, but his header off the ground went wide of the post.

As the half progressed, Dungannon managed to get a foothold in the game and the Swifts' first chance came through Junior, who deflected a Leo Alves shot over the bar.

Adam Glenny was closest to scoring during the first half. He fired a shot from 30 yards out which forced Mark Byrne in the Glenavon goal into an acrobatic save.

The visitors opened the scoring in the 59th minute through Junior. The striker received the ball from a low cross, and with his back to goal he managed to hold off the Glenavon defence to create a scoring angle, and fired a calm finish past Mark Byrne.

Glenavon began searching for an equaliser and had a few half-chances to do so. First, Stephen Mallon managed a strike from a tight angle after Dungannon cleared a corner, but his effort did not trouble Alex Henderson.

McGovern, who was Glenavon's dangerman for most of the game, had a golden opportunity late on in the game.

He managed to jump highest when a high-ball was delivered from the left, but he was unable to get the header on-target.

Crues and Carrick take point apiece

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Highlights: Crusaders and Carrick share Seaview spoils

With just 60 seconds on the clock of an entertaining game at Seaview, Carrick hit the crossbar through a Ryan Waide effort after a good cross from the right.

Then seconds later former Crues player Paul Heatley missed by inches with a header after a super cross from Danny Gibson.

However, on 25 minutes It was the Crues who broke the deadlock thanks to the league's top scorer Fraser Bryden.

Elliot Dunlop crossed from the left, Nathan Gartside got a hand to the ball in goal, but could only knock it into the path of Bryden who finished high into the net from six yards.

But, just six minutes later Carrick struck level thanks to Jack Scott, who took full advantage of a fluffed clearance by Josh Williamson in the heart of the Crusaders' box by heading beyond Musa Dibaga in goal.

On 36 minutes the game flipped on its head when BJ Burns came back to haunt his old club, heading home a Scott cross.

Seconds later Adam Brooks battered the ball off the underside of the crossbar as the hosts pushed for an equaliser before the break but the ball was cleared to safety.

After the break the home side came out firing and on 48 minutes super-sub Forsythe struck with his first touch of the game.

Dunlop rifled the ball across goal by way of a deflection and there was Forsythe at the back post to poke home.

Neither team managed to kick on and win the game but there was time in stoppage-time for Crusaders' Evan Easton to be sent from the field for a second booking.

Bangor too good for Ballymena

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Watch: Francis' strike secures win over Sky Blues

The first big chance at Clandeboye fell to Bangor 25 minutes in when Michael Morgan swivelled to meet a cross with a fine volley but Sean O'Neill parried his effort away and Ben Arthurs wasn't able to keep the rebound on target.

The Ballymena keeper was called into action again when he kept out a stretching effort from defender Lewis Francis.

The deadlock was eventually broken three minutes before the interval when Stephen McGuinness' cross from the left was bundled home from a couple of yards with Ballymena defender Danny Lafferty appearing to get the final touch ahead of Bangor striker Ben Arthurs after the ball had come off O'Neill's arm.

The home side should have doubled their lead on 57 minutes when they were awarded a penalty for Stephen O'Donnell's tackle on Michael Morgan but O'Neill dived to his right to keep out Arthurs' effort.

But within four minutes it was 2-0 when centre-back Francis arrived at the back post to convert Lewis Harrison's cross after it had been flicked on by Morgan.

It was Bangor's first league win over the Sky Blues after two previous defeats earlier in the campaign.