CRUSADERS GO FOUR CLEAR; Rainey strikes again to gun down Glens.

Byline: CARL KENNEDY

Glentoran 0 Crusaders 1

CRUSADERS went four points clear at the top of the Carling Premiership with a 1-0 victory over champions Glentoran at the Oval last night.

David Rainey registered another goal to put his old team to the sword and the Glens also had a player sent off when Shane McCabe saw red for an off the ball incident.

After Saturday's dismal performance against Lisburn Distillery, Glens boss Alan McDonald dropped Colin Nixon and Richard Clarke to the bench and replaced them with Johnny Taylor and Daryl Fordyce, with Sean Ward going in at right-back.

It was a bold decision by McDonald with Clarke a big summer signing while Nixon is the club's leading appearance maker.

However, it was possible that Nixon's exclusion was more to do with the opposition and in particular Martin Donnelly's ferocious pace, than his own form.

For Crusaders, Mark Dickson was expected to be back in the side after a prolonged injury but he didn't even make the bench and it was as you were from the team that also left it late to beat Portadown at Shamrock Park at the weekend.

Neither side picked up where they left off from Saturday's games though and the first half was thoroughly uninspiring.

The goalkeepers were left untroubled until the 36th minute when a quick free-kick found Rainey unmarked, the league's leading marksman forced Elliott Morris into a good save.

But from the corner the Glens were slack at the back and while Rainey's first shot hit the post he converted the rebound for his 14th goal of a superb campaign so far.

Crusaders began the second half better too and could have doubled their lead when Donnelly's corner found Colin Coates and the Northern Ireland international's header deflected off Fordyce and Morris made a good save.

Up the other end and three minutes later Gary Hamilton broke clear but couldn't find a way past Chris Keenan, who blocked the striker's effort with his legs.

Glentoran were again seeing more of the ball but they were doing little with it and defensively Crusaders were superb in quelling any threat that happened to come their way.

The Glens then went a man down when McCabe was sent off for an off the ball clash with Ryan McCann and despite a late flurry, with that went their chances of a fightback and the Crues went on to take the points and extend their lead at the top.

GLENTORAN: Morris, Ward, Leeman, Johnny Taylor (Nixon 58), Black, Gillespie (Clarke 72), Fordyce (Fitzgerald 67), McCabe, Neill, Hamilton, Halliday. Subs: James Taylor, Waterworth.

CRUSADERS: Keenan, McKeown, Magowan, Coates, McBride, McCann, Doherty, Morrow, Donnelly, Caddell (Arthurs 67), Rainey. Subs: Melly, Owens, Murray, McMaster.

REFEREE: Brian Turkington (Dundonald)

CAPTION(S):

FOCUS Kyle Neill & Chris Morrow DELIGHT David Rainey and Colin Coates celebrate taking the lead against Glentoran last night