Cliftonville keep the same starting lineup from Tuesday’s victory over Carrick Rangers.

For Glenavon Eoin Bradley makes his long awaited return from suspension but Joel Cooper is out with a chest infection so Mark Patton gets a rare start.

A rare off day for Glenavon. Following a tense and fairly uneventful first half, Cliftonville took control of the game with two goals inside the first 15 minutes of the second half. Glenavon pulled a late goal back with Simon Kelly scoring his first Glenavon goal but, as the Lurgan Blues went in search of an equaliser, Jay Donnelly made the points safe with a third goal for the Reds in stoppage time.

Not much to write home about in the first half which finished scoreless.

Conor Dillon is having a storming game at the back and he had to make a great interception in the third minute as it looked like Darren Murray would get on the end of a cross from Daniel Hughes.

Andy Kilmartin has also made a couple of vital tackles, denying Jay Donnelly a chance to shoot in the 24th minute. Murray did get a shot on target a minute later but it was an easy save for Johnny Tuffey.

Patton saw his 36th minute shot deflected over for a corner before Kilmartin again got a foot in to clear as Hughes attempted to turn and shoot in the box.

Two goals in ten second half minutes have given the home side the lead. On 48 minutes Murray headed home from 8 yards after Stephen Garrett headed a deep cross by Hughes back in as Tuffey was claiming the cross had gone out of play.

Jude Winchester doubled the Reds lead when he drilled a low shot from the corner of the box into the bottom corner.

Bradley scooped a shot over the bar in the 86th minute as he turned in the box and Gary Hamilton thought he had scored seconds later when he headed David Elebert’s flick on but Peter Burke clawed the ball away for a corner. Simon Kelly scored with an 87th minute header from the resulting  corner by Hamilton to give Glenavon late hope but Donnelly sealed the points in stoppage time for Cliftonville when he was played in by substitute David McDaid.

Cliftonville: Burke, Brennan, Flynn, Smyth, Ives, Garrett, Winchester (Catney 83), McMullan (c), J Donnelly, Hughes (McDaid 89), Murray (Curran 71). Subs not used: Bonner, Lavery

Glenavon: Tuffey, McGrory, Kelly, Dillon, Marshall, Hall (Hamilton 68), Kilmartin (Morris 69), Martyn (c) (Elebert 83), Patton, Braniff, Bradley. Subs not used: Lindsay, McGrath (GK)

Referee Raymond Crangle