Northern Ireland round-up: Glentoran secure league title

Glentoran FC claimed the Northern Irish Premier Division title for the first time in four years thanks to a resounding 4-0 away win against Institute FC at the Riverside stadium in Drumahoe.

Fantastic season
Glentoran have already collected the League Cup and the County Antrim Shield this season and the victory kept alive Roy Coyle's side's chances of a clean sweep of titles after they defeated defending league champions Portadown FC last Saturday to secure a meeting with Coleraine FC in the Irish Cup final.

Blistering start
At Institute, Glentoran virtually guaranteed their 22nd Irish league championship inside the first quarter of an hour, scoring three times to overwhelm the home side. Tim McCann’s outstanding volley from just outside the penalty area opened the scoring in the first minute and six minutes later striker Darren Armour rose unmarked to head in a Scott Young free-kick.

Late fourth
Colin Nixon virtually guaranteed the win when he headed in a corner from left-back Mark Glendinning. With the championship now all but certain, the east Belfast club dropped the tempo but still managed to increase the margin of victory, Andy Smith scoring his 35th of the season with ten minutes remaining.

Score draw
Portadown, meanwhile, remained in second spot with a 1-1 draw away to Coleraine, who lie nine points behind in third. Striker Jody Tolan gave the home team the lead in the 33rd minute but a minute before the break a shot from Portadown midfield player Michael Collins was deflected into his own net by Stuart Clanachan.

Ferguson volley
Linfield FC closed the gap on Coleraine to five points with a 1-0 home victory against Omagh Town FC. Glenn Ferguson tapped in the winner with 20 minutes to go after Omagh goalkeeper Gavin Cullen failed to punch clear a free-kick from Stephen Collier.

Gregg equaliser
At the other end of the table, Newry Town FC managed a 1-1 home draw against Cliftonville FC but remained bottom of the standings. Barry Meehan gave his side brief hope of a rare triumph in the 69th minute but the visitors were on level terms almost immediately through John Gregg.

Crusaders win
Crusaders FC moved away from the bottom thanks to a 2-0 victory against Glenavon FC, who swapped places with their victors in the standings and dropped to second from bottom. George O'Boyle gave Crusaders the lead on the hour and a Johnny Shaw goal sealed the points. Meanwhile, Ards FC defeated Lisburn Distillery FC 1-0 through Harry Kennedy’s goal five minutes from time.