Carrick Rangers lost to Cliftonville 1-3 at Taylors Avenue, a result that sees them drop to eighth in the Premiership standings. The home side took an early lead but were undone by three unanswered goals from their visitors.
Caleb Hawthorne put Carrick in front after just 10 minutes, but the advantage was short-lived. Cliftonville's Kyle McClelland equalised five minutes later, and Ben Quinn gave the Reds the lead just after the half-hour mark. Carrick thought they had levelled through Danny Gibson, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Dean McMaster sealed the win for Cliftonville with a late free-kick, moving his side into third place.
Depleted squad struggles
Carrick were hampered by a badly depleted squad, forced into five changes due to injuries. Goalkeeper PJ Morrison was left helpless on multiple occasions as the defence was breached. Aidan Steele came close to an equaliser, striking the crossbar with a volley from the edge of the area in a moment that summed up a frustrating afternoon.
The defeat is part of a concerning pattern, with Carrick's recent form reading one win, one draw and three defeats from their last five league outings. They now sit on 10 points from eight games, 12 points adrift of leaders Coleraine.
Manager Jim Magilton noted it was "back-to-back wins" for his Cliftonville side. For Carrick, the focus shifts immediately to a trip to face seventh-placed Glentoran on Saturday, 26 September. The full schedule is available on our fixtures page.
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