Holders Cliftonville beat Ards to reach Irish Cup final

With a 3-0 win over Championship side Ards in the semi-finals at Windsor Park, holders Cliftonville moved one step closer to retaining the Irish Cup.

After 29 minutes, Joe Gormley put the Reds ahead with a composed finish before Ryan Corrigan’s late third, followed by Alex Parsons, who added a second with a close-range header.

The Reds now have another final to look forward to on Saturday, May 3, after winning it for the first time in 45 years last season.

The ball was clipped into Ryan Curran for the first real chance of the game on 12 minutes, but the goalkeeper slammed into the save area.

Cliftonville had another chance when Harry Wilson picked out Shea Gordon with a similar ball over the top, but Moore was quick to clear before Gordon even had a chance to shoot.

Ards scored after 21 minutes when Conor Maxwell fed Aidan Steele in the box, and he sidestepped Jonny Addis before Luke Conlan blocked his rising strike.

Just before the half-hour mark, Gormley broke the deadlock and kept Cliftonville in charge of the game’s pace.

Cliftonville continued to dominate possession but was guilty of squandering numerous chances to increase their lead in the second half.

Curran and Addis both played in the film, but Moore smothered Moore’s low-scoring effort. Gormley snatched at his shot as Kelney kept the momentum going.

Arran Pettifer was then replaced by Kearney with a dangerous low cross, but he skewed his close-range effort wide when he was unmarked at the back post.

Soon after connecting with Curran’s delivery, Gormley did the same, swinging and off-target.

Lewis Ridd, who had a good tip to tip Darius Roohi’s deflected effort over the crossbar at the other end, was applauded by the Reds.

On 73 minutes, Parsons eventually doubled their lead, crossing a fine cross from Hale and advancing past Moore with a downward header.

Cliftonville continued to threaten on the counterattack as Ards pressed for a second win, with Pettifer striking the post after cutting in on his left foot.

Corrigan’s third goal came just five minutes into the game, sealing the victory.