Irish Premiership: Title challengers Coleraine and Crusaders win

Coleraine extended their lead at the top of the Irish Premiership to five points by beating Ards 4-1 on Tuesday.

Gareth McConaghie scored twice in the first half with Josh Carson and Martin Smith netting after the break.

Crusaders are now just one point behind second-placed Glenavon after a 4-0 win away to Dungannon Swifts.

Rodney Brown headed the Crues into an early lead with Gavin Whyte adding two before David Cushley wrapped things up in stoppage time.

Oran Kearney's Coleraine were desperate to return to winnings ways having dropped five points by drawing with Glenavon and losing their unbeaten record with Saturday's defeat away to Linfield.

The Bannsiders made the breakthrough when McConaghie headed in while on the ground after skipper Darren McCauley's corner and Martin Smith's shot had struck the same upright.

McConaghie netted his second on the stroke of half-time with a glancing header from Ciaron Harkin's free-kick.

Josh Carson made it 3-0 with fine strike from 22 yards and the buoyant Bannsiders struck again on 81 minutes when former Kilmarnock midfielder Smith pounced on a poor clearance to score his first goal for the club he recently joined on a short-term contract.

Boss Kearney, who had said his team turned up for only the second half of that defeat at Linfield, was much happier with this display.

"We got the whole 90 minutes which is what we were looking for," he said.

"We were on the money from the word go and we sustained it which was important."

Crusaders, champions in 2015 and 2016 and runners-up last season, won their fifth Premiership match in a row with a 4-0 success at Stangmore Park.

Brown headed a 17th-minute opener and Whyte made it 2-0 with a penalty on 29 minutes awarded for hand ball against Ryan Harpur.

Whyte, who scored a hat-trick in the 7-1 demolition of Carrick at the weekend, got his second of the night with a 22-yard drive into the top corner.

Cushley netted the visitors' fourth with a shot from the edge of the penalty area in the second minute of stoppage-time.