Clearer Water Irish Cup, Round Six (AET)

Cliftonville 3-2 Glenavon

JONNY ADDIS sealed Cliftonville’s place in the quarter-final of the Clearer Water Irish Cup after a pulsating 3-2 extra-time victory over Glenavon at Solitude on Saturday afternoon. 

The holders were twice pegged back after Arran Pettifer and Rory Hale had netted late in each half, Michael O’Connor and Barney McKeown replied to force extra-time. 

The first period ended scoreless and with the tie on a knife-edge, but Addis lashed home the winner to ensure the Reds progress to the last eight where they will face a trip to North Belfast rivals, Crusaders. 

Manager Jim Magilton felt the game had everything on an afternoon where the end goal of winning was the priority. 

“It’s amazing. It’s a cup game, a one-off game and it was all hands to the pump, and it was frantic and there was chaos and everything that adds to a wonderful occasion,” he summarised. 

“It was unbelievable two goals, unbelievable opportunities by both teams. Both teams will probably look back and go defensively we can do better, certainly we will, but it was all about winning the game. 

“Cup games are about winning the game, getting into the next round and doing everything you can to do that.”

Magilton made four changes to the starting XI from last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Linfield. 

Micheál Glynn, Axel Piesold and Ryan Curran dropped to the bench with Conor Pepper missing out altogether with Arran Pettifer, Destiny Ojo, Odhran Casey, and Harry Wilson coming into the starting squad. 

The game started at a frantic pace as Glenavon struck the crossbar within the first two minutes. 

Peter Campbell clipped in a corner that bounced and Michael O’Connor’s attempted volley crashed off the bar and was smuggled to safety. 

Cliftonville went close when Joe Gormley flashed a ball across the face of goal and Destiny Ojo was unable to convert at the back post. 

The duo then linked up again a few minutes later with Glenavon keeper Mark Byrne turning Gormley’s effort onto the post, and O’Connor then curled a shot wide of the target at the other end. 

Joe Gormley twice saw shots go inches past the target and David Odumosu held onto a close-range Michael O’Connot shot midway through the half. 

The crossbar was struck for the second time in the 25th minute, this time at the other end as Rory Hale’s corner was thundered goalwards by the head of Jack Keaney, but it came off the underside of the bar and Peter Campbell completed the clearance. 

Again, Cliftonville went close when Joe Gormley latched onto a ball over the top and lobbed it over Mark Byrne though Barney McKeown was able to hook the ball off the line ahead of the inrushing Ojo. 

A fantastic save from David Odumosu denied Niall Quinn on the stroke of half-time before the deadlock was broken in first-half injury-time. 

Rory Hale lifted a ball over the top that Ojo got onto ahead of Jack Malone and he cut the ball across, Gormley left it for Arran Pettifer to slam the ball past Byrne and make it 1-0 at the break. 

A glorious chance to double the lead went begging for the hosts when Rory Hale slipped in Gormley, and he fired past the post. 

It was a chance they would come to rue as Glenavon hit back in the 57th minute. 

Arran Pettifer committed a foul on the edge of the box and Peter Campbell delivered a ball into the area that Michael O’Connor glanced home to make it 1-1. 

Midway through the half, O’Connor saw his goal-bound header turned over at the expense of a corner by Odumosu. 

A few minutes later, Peter Campbell put too much power on a similar delivery and O’Connor couldn’t stoop to head home. 

With the game seemingly heading for extra-time, Cliftonville thought they had won it in the 87th minute when Luke Conlon clipped a pass across the box where substitute Ryan Corrigan held the ball up and laid it off to Rory Hale to arrow a shot into the top corner from 25 yards. 

Michael O'Connor scores a goal past David Odumosu
2Gallery

Michael O'Connor scores a goal past David Odumosu

Glenavon pushed for an equaliser in the closing minutes and their perseverance paid off in the fourth minute of added time. 

Goal-scorer O’Connor floated the ball into the area for the last roll of the dice and Odumosu initially gathered, but after a collision with David Toure, the ball slipped from his grasp and Barney McKeown took advantage and rolled home to force extra-time. 

The Lurgan Blues thought they had hit the front for the first time when O’Connor’s low cross was turned home by Peter Campbell, but the linesman’s flag was immediately raised. 

The decisive winner arrived in the second period as Cliftonville booked their spot in the last eight when Axel Piesold slipped in Jonny Addis, and he kept his composure to fire home and complete the job at the end of a breath-taking cup tie. 

CLIFTONVILLE: Odumosu, Addis, Casey (Glynn 67’), Keaney, Wilson, Kearney (Lowe 106’), Pettifer (Piesold 76’), Hale, Conlon, Ojo (Corrigan 76’), Gormley (Curran 90+3’). 

GLENAVON: Byrne, Toure (Doona 111’), O’Sullivan, Snoddy (Marshall 64’), Malone (Carlin 89’), McDaid, Campbell, Quinn (Baird 89’), Atherton (McGovern 73’), McKeown, O’Connor. 

REFEREE: Tony Clarke