Linfield earn a draw after Daniel Reynolds' late strike

Daniel Reynolds struck late on to earn Danske Bank Premiership champions Linfield a draw at Coleraine in the final game of the season.
Coleraine's Aaron Canning and Jamie Glackin tussle with Linfield's Benjamin Nielsen.Coleraine's Aaron Canning and Jamie Glackin tussle with Linfield's Benjamin Nielsen.
Coleraine's Aaron Canning and Jamie Glackin tussle with Linfield's Benjamin Nielsen.

The spectacular strike cancelled out Dylan Davidson's superb first half goal for the Bannsiders at The Showgrounds.

David Healy made nine changes to the team which beat Cliftonville in midweek giving several of the club's talented young stars a chance to impress.

They started brightly knocking the ball about well in the windswept conditions.

Coleraine though began to find their feet. Ian Parkhill should have done better when the ball broke to him in the box on 21 minutes, but he blazed over.

He did force Conor Mitchell into action eight minutes later as he flicked Mark Edgar's cross goalwards.

The big keeper was helpless to stop the Bannsiders going in front on 33 minutes as Davidson curled a delightful shot into the top corner from outside the box.

He could have had a second before the break when Jamie Glackin picked him out at the back post, but local lad Mitchell produced a great block to deny him.

The Blues started the second half well with Lorcan Forde driving forward and forcing Johns into a save 60 seconds after the restart.

Johns almost turned goal provider on 55 minutes as his long free kick picked out the run of Parkhill, but his first time effort flew wide of the goal.

The visitors should have levelled things up on 69 minutes, but Brandon Doyle fired over with the goal at his mercy after Johns could only parry a cross into the box.

The visitors were saved by the woodwork two minutes later as a combination of Caleb Wan and Callacher deflected Doherty's corner on to the cross bar.

The Blues missed another gilt-edged chance to level things up on 83 minutes as Marek Cervenka played a teasing ball across the face of goal, it looked a goal all ends up, but Reynolds, sliding in, somehow scooped the ball over the bar from a yard out.

But Reynolds made amends five minutes later as he fired home from the edge of the box after an excellent pass by Charlie Allen sent him clear.