Coleraine Secure 3-0 Victory Over Portadown
Coleraine bounced back to winning form with a convincing 3-0 victory against Portadown, who sit at the bottom of the table, at the Showgrounds.
Jay Henderson opened the scoring for the hosts with a stunning long-range strike just before half-time, followed by Ben Wylie doubling the lead on the stroke of half-time.
After the break, Divin Isamala inadvertently added a third goal for Coleraine under pressure from Adam Brooks, solidifying their control of the match. Joel Cooper nearly added a fourth in the closing minutes, but his powerful shot went just over the crossbar.
The home team started strongly, creating several early chances, yet Adam Brooks and Ben Wylie failed to capitalize on good play along the wings. Brooks missed another chance midway through the first half, heading wide from six yards after receiving a well-placed pass from Joe Thomson.
Coleraine came closest to scoring around the half-hour mark during a hectic moment in the penalty area. Aaron McCarey made an impressive save, parrying a close-range header from Ben Wylie, and Henderson’s follow-up hit the post.
With eight minutes remaining in the first half, Coleraine finally broke the deadlock thanks to Henderson’s fourth goal of the season. He collected the ball midway in the opposition half, created space, and unleashed a low shot from 30 yards that beat McCarey.
Just before the whistle sounded for half-time, Wylie scored his first goal for Coleraine at the Showgrounds, finishing off a well-placed pass from Cameron Stewart after rounding the goalkeeper.
Six minutes into the second half, Coleraine extended their lead to 3-0 when Portadown’s Isamala scored an own goal under pressure from Brooks after a dangerous cross from Lyndon Kane.
Coleraine aimed to further their advantage in the dying moments of the match, but Cooper’s effort from the edge of the box went just above the goalpost.
For Portadown, the night was largely uneventful offensively, with Michael Hewitt coming closest to scoring with a header that narrowly missed in the second half, leaving the team firmly at the bottom of the standings.
