Release Date: Jan 05, 2013

MATT Tipton helped himself to the match ball as Linfield hit five past Coleraine at Windsor Park.

The Blues raced into a two-goal lead inside the opening ten minutes.

Matt Tipton kicked the scoring off in the 8th minute after he got on the end of a Michael Carvill through ball to calmly guide it past Michael Doherty and into the net.

Then, little over a minute later, Brian McCaul converted from the spot after Carvill had been upended by David Ogilby.

And Carvill was involved once more on 40 minutes for Linfield's third when his ball allowed Tipton to beat the offside trap and slot another shot beyond Doherty.

The Bannsiders pulled a goal back three minutes into the second half through Curtis Allen with a ten-yard finish from a David Scullion right-sided cross.

They might have reduced the decifit further just a couple of minutes later after Alan Blayney had dropped a corner only for Johnny Black to make a goalline clearance to block David Ogilby's shot.

But Linfield restored their three goal advantage on 53 minutes when the ball broke for Mark McAllister on the edge of the area to fire past Doherty.

However, Coleraine struck again on 68 minutes through Ruairi Harkin after he made the most of a Billy Joe Burns error to curl the ball past Blayney from the left side of the box.

The visitors almost hauled the gap back to a single goal on 81 minutes only for Harkin's 20-yard pile-driver to be well tipped over by Blayney.

Tipton then grabbed his hat-trick - and Linfields fifth - with four minutes remaining with a back post finish from a McCaul free-kick from the right.

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