Cliftonville win Danske Bank Irish Premiership

Cliftonville were crowned the new Danske Bank Irish League champions in the most dramatic of circumstances after their captain George McMullan calmly dispatched an injury time penalty to secure a 3-2 victory over Linfield at Solitude on Saturday afternoon.

An entertaining encounter with the outgoing champions seemed destined to delay the Reds celebrations until Liam Boyce was upended in the box with time almost up and McMullan held his nerve to send the capacity crowd into raptures.

The home faithful’s nerves were calmed early on when Boyce blasted a free kick to the net after only six minutes but they then had to endure a series of missed chances by Linfield who were loath to relinquish the title they have won 51 times, and forthe last three years in succession.

David Jeffrey's side were on level terms three minutes after the break when Lowry struck a low right-foot drive into the bottom corner but Boyce restored his side's advantage five minutes later by heading over the line after Marc Smyth headed across the face of goal.

The champagne was again put on ice when Michael Gault headed home at the back post but Cliftonville were not to be denied and fully deserved their injury time penalty to secure their first Championship since 1998.

Crusaders pushed their near neighbours all the way when then they defeated Coleraine  2-1 at Seaview but, in a game marred by controversy, late goals from  David Rainey and Matthew Snoddy were not enough to see the title race enter another week despite David Oglivy’s reply with minutes remaining.

At the other end of the table Lisburn Distillery looked to be doomed after a 7-0 trouncing by Glenavon but their condemnation to the second tier was offset by Donegal Celtic’s 1-4 home capitulation at the hands of Ballymena United.

Elsewhere Gary Twigg scored in Portadown’s 1-1 draw with Dungannon Swifts while Ballinamallard United played out a 0-0 draw with Glentoran at Ferney Park.