INSTITUTE: Four star display sees off Whites

Institute striker Gareth Brown scored his fourth goal in five games at Lisburn Distillery, on Tuesday night.

The victory moves the Waterside men into third spot and into the automatic promotion play-off position, three points clear of fellow play-off hopefuls Larne and with a superior goal difference of plus seven, with one game each to play this weekend.

Stute travel to Ballyclare Comrades at the weekend, while the Inver Park men host Distillery.

At a very blustery Ballyskeagh Road the vistiors had half a chance on seven minutes but Michael McCrudden’s attempted lob from the edge of the box was straight at Whites goalkeeper Kyle Brown.

The Waterside men did take the lead on 13 minutes in super fashion when McCrudden’s inch perfect pass over the top found Gareth Brown and his low drive from the left hand side of the box flew past his namesake in the Whites goal.

Moments later McCrudden, who was in the thick of things in the early stages, saw his long range strike easily gathered by Brown.

The woodwork came to the home side’s rescue on 24 minutes when that man McCrudden got in behind Patrick Pierce to latch onto Jamie McIntyre’s super through ball, but his curling effort from the left hand side of the box was superbly tipped onto the post by Brown.

Distillery fell a further goal behind on 25 minutes after McCrudden’s left wing cross was turned into his own net by the unfortunate Chris Begley.

Stute should have added a third on the half-hour mark when Niall Grace broke the offside trap, but with only Brown to beat, his 20 yard strike flew well over.

Minutes later Distillery had their first effort at goal but Reece Granger’s shot was saved at the second attempt by Stute keeper Marty Gallagher.

Just before the break McCrudden showed more good skill to get some space inside the box, but his drive, which took a big deflection off Philip SImpson, was outstandingly kept out by a fully stretched Brown.

Distillery should have pulled one back right at the start of the second half but Darius Roohi blasted over from six yards, after Granger’s inital miss hit fell perfectly for him.

Institute hit the post for a second time on 63 minutes when Aaron Harkin picked the ball up some 25 yards from goal but after getting into the Whites box, his low drive from 10 yards, which had Brown beaten, rattled the post.

Kevin Deery’s side added a third on 77 minutes when subtitute Jamie Dunne raced clear down the left before calmly cutting the ball back to the in-rushing Shane McGinty, who fired home from seven yards, despite Brown’s best efforts.

On 84 minutes incredibly for a third time the woodwork denied Stute this time substitute Stephen Mills’ saw his shot tipped onto the bar by Brown.

In stoppage time Aaron Harkin’s free-kick from the right found Mark Scoltock at the back post and the big centre-back made no mistake, heading home his first goal of the season.

Lisburn Distillery: Brown, Pierce, Begley, Burns, Simpson, Halfpenny, Chapman, McIlhagga (Murtagh 76), Granger, O’Conner (McDonnell 67), Roohi (Knipe 78).

Institute: Gallagher, O’Donnell, McDermott, Scoltock; McIntyre, C Harkin, A Harkin, Grace, McCrudden (Dunne H-T); McGinty (Mills 67), Brown (Pomeroy 73).