Match Highlights vs Cliftonville

HIGHLIGHTS from the Bannsiders’ penalty shoot-out win against Cliftonville can now be viewed on the club’s official YouTube account…

The Bannsiders would reach their third successive League Cup final after a dramatic evening in north Belfast as the visitors held their nerve from 12 yards.

The Reds would hit the front on 14 minutes as Ronan Hale latched onto an underhit back pass and found the back of the net, with Paddy McLaughlin’s side also going close through Jamie McDonagh and Rory Hale.

The Stripes would end the first-half strongly as Josh Carson forced Nathan Gartside to tip the ball over the crossbar, whilst Dean Jarvis saw a header being cleared off the line by Chris Gallagher.

After Jamie Glackin hit the crossbar from 25 yards, Coleraine got a deserved equaliser on 83 minutes as Michael McCrudden and Conor McDermott combined to tee up Matthew Shevlin inside the box and he made no mistake.

Just two minutes into extra-time, the hosts would regain the lead as a corner kick wasn’t cleared and this allowed Odhran Casey to lash home an unstoppable effort just inside the box. The holders almost made the game dead and buried on 103 minutes as Sean Moore cracked the woodwork.

However, just before the half-time whistle in extra-time, the Stripes would draw level yet again as a pin point cross by Lee Lynch was headed into the net by Shevlin for his 16th goal of the campaign.

Oran Kearney’s men thought they had found a winner on 110 minutes as Stephen O’Donnell headed home from a free-kick but his celebrations were quickly cut short by the linesman’s flag, whilst Lynch blazed over at the death after McCrudden’s cut back was tipped away by Gartside.

Both teams would miss their first penalty with the resulting spot kicks all scored until Casey’s strike from 12 yards came back off the crossbar to make it a memorable win at Solitude.