Matthew Shevlin scored his 100th goal for Coleraine as his team came from two goals down to rescue a point in a pulsating 2-2 draw at the Showgrounds in tonight’s Sports Direct Premiership tie.
The result keeps Coleraine top of the league with Linfield remaining fourth, but it will be Glentoran in second and Larne in third who will be happiest with tonight’s result.
Linfield had the stronger opening half, and David Healy must have thought all his prayers were answered when they went into the sheds two goals to the good thanks to strikes from Matthew Fitzpatrick and Sam Roscoe-Byrne. However Shevlin and Declan Dunne scored goals in the second half as the hosts began to dominate proceedings.
In front of a bumper crowd in north Antrim, Coleraine looked to establish themselves early in the tie, however, it wasn’t long before the Blues began to assert their dominance, harrying keeper Aidan Harris at every opportunity. And it was the reigning league title-holders who hit the front on 15 minutes.
Kirk Millar swung in an inviting free-kick across the face of the goal where Fitzpatrick arrived on time to guide his header past Harris and into the bottom corner of the goal and silence the home support.
Coleraine responded well though and almost hit back five minutes later through Shevlin.
Zane Okoro raced to the byeline, where he clipped a cross into the six-yard box onto the head of the big striker who rose well, but his header was straight into the arms of a grateful Chris Johns in the Linfield goal.
David Healy’s men then set about re-establishing their dominance with Millar crashing an effort off the woodwork and Ethan McGee’s long throw getting Harris into more difficulty, but the hosts escaped. However, it would only be a temporary respite.
Eight minutes before the break, the blues doubled their advantage. Millar again firing in a corner which Harris failed to deal with. The ball made its way across goal to the waiting Roscoe-Byrne, who tapped into an empty net.
Manager Ruaidhri Higgins made three changes at the beginning of the second period and it wasn’t long before the impact was felt.
On 55 minutes substitute Lewis McGregor, only on the pitch two minutes, brilliantly to beat a Linfield defender before delivering a low cross into the danger area. Shevlin swings first time but Sean Brown does well to block his effort, before the ball fell to the striker once more and this time he made no mistake from five yards, firing low into the goal for his century of goals for the club.
The Bannsiders turned up the heat thereafter and managed to draw level with eight minutes of time remaining.
Will Patching delivered a corner deep to the Linfield rear post where Dunne was on hand to fire home for his first goal for the club.
As weather conditions worsened, the home team pushed hard for a winner, but it wasn’t to be as both teams shared the spoils on the night
Coleraine: Harris, Jarvis, Boyle, Patching, Shevlin, Cooper, Ives (c), Glackin, Dunne, Stewart, Okoro.
Subs: Webb, Kane, Long, Lyons-Foster, McGregor, McDonald, McManus.
Linfield: Johns, Roscoe-Byrne, East, Millar (c), McClean, Hall, Brown, Baird, McGee, Fitzpatrick, Taylor.
Subs: Walsh, Offord, Allen, Yates, Archer, McCullough, Morrison.
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