Bannsiders back to winning ways against Portadown

Irish Premiership Coleraine 3 - 0 Portadown FT Coleraine returned to winning ways with a convincing 3-0 win over bottom of the table Portadown at the Showgrounds. Jay Henderson fired the hosts in front in the run-up to half-time with a superb strike from distance before Ben Wylie doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time. Divin Isamla put through his own goal six minutes after the restart under pressure from Adam Brooks as Coleraine continued to dominate. Joel Cooper went close to adding a fourth minutes from the end but his fierce shot went just the wrong side of the crossbar. Coleraine dominance pays off The home side started on the front foot and created a number of good early chances, but Adam Brooks and Ben Wylie were unable to find the target following good approach play down the flanks. Brooks, signed in the summer from Crusaders, passed up another good opportunity midway through the opening half when he headed wide from six yards out following good work from Joe Thomson. The hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock on the half hour in a mad scramble inside the penalty area. Aaron McCarey did brilliantly to parry a goal-bound Ben Wylie header from close range before Jay Henderson's effort from the rebound crashed off the foot of a post. The home side got the breakthrough their first half dominance deserved eight minutes before half-time thanks to Henderson's fourth goal of the campaign. The Scottish winger picked the ball up midway inside the opposition half and, invited to have a go, he did just that, firing a low right foot shot past McCarey from fully 30 yards. It was 2-0 on the stroke of half-time as Ben Wylie scored his first goal for Coleraine at the Showgrounds, running on to an incisive pass from central defender Cameron Stewart before rounding McCarey and tapping into an empty net. And it was 3-0 six minutes after the restart as Portadown defender Divin Isamala put through his own net under pressure from Adam Brooks following a dangerous cross from the right from full-back Lyndon Kane. The Bannsiders came close to extending their lead in the closing stages but Joel Cooper's effort from the edge of the penalty area went just the wrong side of the crossbar. It was a quiet night offensively for Portadown, Michael Hewitt going closest to scoring with a header narrowly off target in the second half as they remain rooted to the foot of the table.