LINFIELD stretched their lead at the top to twelve points following this clinical defeat of Lisburn Distillery at Ballyskeagh.

The Blues needed just 12 minutes to open the scoring after a Jim Ervin ball into the box was knocked home by Michael Carvill.

Robert Garrett then tested Billy Brennan with a superb 20-yard drive which the Whites 'keeper did well to turn over.

And Michael Gault then came close with a header over the bar from a Jamie Mulgrew corner.

Linfield's second did come on 65 minutes through Peter Thompson when he found himself unmarked to flick the ball home at the back post.

Substitute Mark McAllister might have added a third on 71 minutes with a tremendous effort backed off the woodwork .... but he did play his part ten minutes later following a run into the box before squaring the ball for Daryl Fordyce to finish.

Lisburn Distillery: Brennan, Callaghan, McShane, Hunter, McCashin, Thompson, Cooling, Kilmartin, Davidson, Liggett, Hughes subs Larmour (not used), Hall (not used), McCullough (not used), Simpson (not used), Gardiner (replaced Davidson 70)

Linfield: Blayney, Armstrong, Gault, Murphy, Curran, Thompson, Carvill, Fordyce, Garrett, Ervin, Mulgrew subs Douglas (not used), B.J. Burns (not used), Browne (replaced Thompson 76), McAllister (replaced Mulgrew 59), Casement (replaced Garrett 80)

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• Jordan Hughes keeps a close eye on Jim Ervin (Picture: Brian Little/PressEye.com)