Late Bradley goal rescues Coleraine at Glentoran

Glentoran 2
Coleraine's Eoin Bradley pictured after scoring his team' late equaliser during Saturday's game at The Oval.
 Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker PressColeraine's Eoin Bradley pictured after scoring his team' late equaliser during Saturday's game at The Oval.
 Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press
Coleraine's Eoin Bradley pictured after scoring his team' late equaliser during Saturday's game at The Oval. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press

Coleraine 2

Peter McMahon’s second half goal was fit to grace any occasion but it still wasn’t enough to earn Glentoran their first home win of the season.

Ronnie McFall’s team will feel hard done by. They came within two minutes of registering back-to-back victories but were undone by a brilliant finish from Coleraine striker Eoin Bradley.

It has to be said the first half of this Danske Bank Premiership will not live long in the memory. In fact, when Coleraine’s number one fan and sponsor, actor James Nesbitt, took his seat in the Directors’ box just after 3.30pm, he had missed nothing.

At least he was in time to see Brad Lyons rise high at the back post to meet Darren McCauley’s corner at the Sydenham end of the ground, his header flashing past Elliott Morris.

If the first half was forgettable, the second developed into a thrilling contest.

Cold Feet star Nesbitt had just resumed his seat after half-time when the Glens levelled. Dylan Davidson’s low free kick from the right wing was met by Allen and he merely poked the ball past Chris Johns.

But it was McMahon who lit up the Oval just after the hour with a stunning strike – a genuine goal of the season contender.

He picked up the ball just in his own half, roared forward before unleashing a stunning drive that exploded into the top corner. The place erupted, the Glentoran fans knew they had just witnessed something special.

After that, it was backs to the wall stuff for the home side. When Bradley rapped the crossbar with a free kick after Lyons had been flattened by Ross Redman, it looked as though it wasn’t going to be Coleraine’s day.

But with the clock ticking down, it was the healthy section of away support that were celebrating.

For once, big Darren McCauley got a bit of change out of Nathan Kerr on the left flank. And, when he whipped in the most audacious of crosses, Bradley got up above everyone else to thunder home an unstoppable header.

Perhaps, justice was done?