Stalemate in play-off tie

Lisburn Distillery missed a great chance to put pressure on promotion chasing Newry leaving it all to play for now in the second leg at The Showgrounds on Friday night.

Both teams found it hard to play decent football on a hard, bumpy pitch, and as a result neither team had a direct shot on goal in the 90 minutes.

The Whites did have a few half chances but all too often they tried to take an extra touch when a shot might have brought reward.

The best chance on the night fell to Distillery, Sean McGashin did well to break down a Newry attack and his long ball sent Gary Liggett clear but the striker lifted his shot over the bar.

“Because of what is at stake for both clubs it was a bit nervous at times,” admitted manager John Cunningham. “We wanted to take an advantage into the second leg, but the most important thing is that we kept a clean sheet. The onus is now on the home team. We know it will be tough but we are playing for the right to stay in the Premier League and that is a big incentive.”