Cliftonville 3
Ballinamallard United 2
A goal just before half time changed the whole complex of this game at Solitude on Saturday.
Ballinamallard made the champions fight all the way for the three points aftr the visitors took the lead with a delightful Jason McCartney opportunist lob.
But on the stroke of half time Donnelly swept the ball home after defender Liam McMenamin tripped Davy McDaid.
The visitors were furious that the referee had played more than the alotted time in the first half and gave the Reds the opportunity to level matters.
Anderson fumed afterwards, “The fourth official was standing beside me and I can hear him saying through his microphone, “3,2,1, that’s it to the referee.
“As far as I’m concerned time’s up but the game’s still going on and the free kick’s awrded.
“They score from it and it’s a massive blow to us becasue we’ve come here with a game plan and the players have stuck to it perfectly,” he said.
In the first half the visitors played particularly well with Ryan Campbell heading just over from a Jason McCartney cross before McCartney’s cheeky goal.
The central defender Mark Stafford had to come to the rescue with a brilliant block to deny the champions as they went chasing for the leveller and got it just on the break.
The Solitude side took the lead on the hour when Joe Gormley stretched out a leg to deflect a Donnelly drive beyond the stretching hand of Stefan McCusker.
Cliftonville went further in front when the ball played off McCartney to leave the Cliftonville strikers on side and McDaid made no mistake from point blank range.
Substitute Johnny Lafferty gave Cliftonville something to think about with three minutes to go. The Ballinamallard strike man struck a great volley at the back post to tighten things up and in the remaiining three minutes the home side had to withstand plenty of pressure from the Ballinamallard side.
Ballinamallard United
McCusker, McMenamin, Stafford, Kee, Martin, McCartney, Currie, Foy, Campbell, Crilly, McLaughlin
Subs
Murphy, Dykes, Hutchinson, Elding, Laffery
Forthcoming fixtues
Saturday November 1 Portadown (Home, League, 3pm)
Saturday November 8 Crusaders (Home, League, 3pm)
Tuesday November 11 Glentoran (Home, Wasp Solutions League Cup Quarter Final, 7.45pm)
Saturday November 15 Institute (Away, League, 3pm)
Saturday November 22 Ballymena (Away, League, 3pm)
Danske Premier League
P W D L F A GD Pts
Cliftonville 14 7 6 1 26 15 11 27
Glenavon 14 8 2 4 30 21 9 26
Crusaders 14 7 4 3 31 23 8 25
Portadown 14 7 3 4 25 15 10 24
Linfield 14 7 3 4 21 19 2 24
Glentoran 14 5 5 4 22 18 4 20
Coleraine 14 6 2 6 17 20 -3 20
Ballymena 14 5 4 5 25 26 -1 19
Institute 14 4 4 6 19 26 -7 16
Ballinamallard 14 3 3 8 16 26 -10 12
Dungannon 14 1 6 7 11 20 -9 9
Warrenpoint 14 2 2 10 13 27 -14 8