BARRY TOWN UNITED 0 CLIFTONVILLE 0
Cliftonville are big favourites to progress in the Europa League after a scoreless draw in the first leg of their preliminary round tie away to Barry Town United last night.
The Reds were the better team in a contest watched by over 2,000 spectators in what was Barry’s first game in Europe since 2003.
The match was played at the Cardiff International Athletics stadium at Leckwith after the Welsh club’s 3G pitch failed a Fifa pro test and the 350 Cliftonville fans who made the trip will believe their team will race into the next round at Solitude next week.
With record goalscorer Joe Gormley starting on the bench, Rory Donnelly was the dangerman for the visitors and went close in the first half when Paddy McLaughlin’s men created the better openings.
Donnelly was also a threat after the break hitting the post. He will fancy his chances of finding the target in the return in north Belfast.
Another opportunity came when Cliftonville broke from a Barry corner but Conor McMenamin was off target at the end of the move.
The closest the home side came was when skipper Jordan Cotterill fired over the crossbar with 74 minutes on the clock.
McLaughlin would have loved to have netted an away goal but will settle for 0-0 feeling confident that his players will complete the job on July 4 at Solitude. If they are successful Cliftonville will meet Norway’s Haugesund in the first qualifying round.
Cliftonville team
Starting XI: Brush, McDermott, Ives, Breen, C Curran, Harkin, R Donnelly, Bagnall, Doherty, McMenamin, Gorman.
Subs: Dunne, Harney, R Curran, Foster, Wilson, Gormley, Maguire.
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