Samuel Gelston’s Whiskey Irish Cup, Round Six (AET)
Cliftonville 2–2 Coleraine
Cliftonville win 3-1 on penalties
NATHAN Gartside was the Cliftonville hero as the goalkeeper saved three penalties in their shoot-out win over Coleraine at Solitude on Saturday afternoon.
For the third game in succession this season, the sides were tied at 2-2 at the game’s conclusion after goals from Jack O’Mahony and Stephen O’Donnell had cancelled out Ronan Hale’s first-half strike.
Coleraine were on the verge of registering their second cup triumph at Solitude, but Jamie McDonagh popped up with an equaliser in injury time to ensure extra-time.
After playing out a goalless extra 30 minutes, penalties were required, and Nathan Gartside would prove to be the hero.
Saving from Matthew Shevlin and Aaron Jarvis and denying Rodney Brown the chance to restore parity after Jamie McDonagh and Joe Gormley had missed their spot kicks.
Levi Ives would net the Reds' fifth penalty to book their place in the last eight of the Cup and a meeting with Dungannon Swifts on March 4.
Reds' boss Paddy McLaughlin felt the game lived up to its pre-match billing and was sympathetic with Coleraine in the nature of their defeat.
🤬 Think the young lady on the right sums up everyone's emotions after that... pic.twitter.com/hsZ1eO3Pdy
— Cliftonville FC (@cliftonvillefc) February 4, 2023
“It was a typical Cliftonville-Coleraine game, end to end and both sides weren’t resting on their laurels,” McLaughlin reflected.
“Both sides were going for the kill throughout the game and going for goals. It lived up to everything we thought it would have been. Goals at both ends, excitement and I’m sure it was a classic cup game.
"Both sets of fans surely got their money's worth out of it and both sides emptied the tank and gave it their best shot. Fortunately for us, we came out on the right side of a penalty shoot-out.
“It’s not a nice way to lose the game, we know all about that ourselves a couple of weeks ago losing that penalty shoot-out against Coleraine in the League Cup. I understand the feeling that Coleraine players will have tonight - it’s not nice. Luckily for us, it was our turn to win this time. They had their turn the last time and lucky for us we’ve got Nathan Gartside in goals.”
There was a good tempo in the opening stages at Solitude and Cliftonville carved out the first opportunity.
Joe Gormley raced onto a pass down the right channel and swung in a low cross towards Sean Moore at the back post, but Conor McDermott was able to slide in and clear the danger.
The deadlock was broken after 13 minutes and it was Cliftonville who drew first blood. Rodney Brown’s attempted back pass to Gareth Deane was short and intercepted by Rory Hale who burst forward and tucked his shot into the corner past Deane to make it 1-0.
Coleraine went close to a leveller when Conor McDermott picked out Lee Lynch inside the area, though the midfielder's attempt was steered over the bar and at the break, Hale’s goal was the difference.
The Bannsiders made a bright opening to the second period as Matthew Shevlin switched the ball to Aaron Jarvis whose shot was deflected off Ives for a corner.
Stephen O'Donnell gives Coleraine the lead in normal time 
Lee Lynch’s resulting set-piece was met the by the head of Stephen O’Donnell, but he couldn’t keep his attempt down.
Ronan Hale sent a shot straight down the throat of Deane, but he gathered with ease and at the other end Lee Lynch skipped down the right channel and produced a low cross that just evaded Shevlin.
Coleraine eventually restored parity on 53 minutes when Lyndon Kane’s flick-on fell to half-time substitute Jack O’Mahony and the former Glenavon winger sent a shot high into the top corner past Nathan Gartside to make it 1-1.
The visitors went close again when Lee Lynch’s corner was partially cleared and lynch then produced a cross O’Donnell met, with Gartside getting down low to turn it behind for a further set-piece.
Lynch again dropped the ball into the area where pandemonium ensued, Nathan Gartside was felled and Rodney Brown’s flick-on was stabbed home by Stephen O’Donnell to give his side the lead.
Paddy McLaughlin made a treble sub with 20 minutes remaining in the hope of finding the leveller, David Parkhouse, Jamie McDonagh, and Luke Turner all coming into the fray.
Coleraine may have killed the game off when Matthew Shevlin was slipped through, but Nathan Gartside stood tall and blocked the striker’s effort.
The Reds pushed for an equaliser, and they got their rewards two minutes into added time. David Parkhouse nodded down to Levi Ives and the left-back clipped a ball to the back post where Jamie McDonagh steered home to make it 2-2 and force extra-time.
Cliftonville began extra time on the front foot with Ronan Hale seeing a shot deflected behind for a corner. A few minutes later Levi Ives and Joe Gormley combined and Gormley flashed in a cross that Gareth Deane came to claim.
The Bannsiders' best chance came in the second period when a corner was whipped in and Stephen O’Donnell hooked the ball agonisingly across the face of goal and wide as penalties were required for the second time this season between the sides in a cup competition.
Jamie McDonagh celebrates scoring a late equaliser
Ronan Hale gave Cliftonville the early advantage in the shoot-out and Nathan Gartside then turned Matthew Shevlin’s attempt onto the bar.
Despite saving his side's blushes and forcing extra-time, Jamie McDonagh was unable to double the shoot-out advantage, though Gartside turned Aaron Jarvis's attempt to ensure his side still retained the imitative.
A confident David Parkhouse spot-kick doubled the hosts' advantage with Dean Jarvis getting the Bannsiders up and running after three attempts.
The Reds handed Coleraine a lifeline when Gormley blasted his effort over the bar, but Gartside made it three saves from four when he denied Rodney Brown.
That ensured that Levi Ives would have the chance to secure progression and Ives sent Gareth Deane the wrong way to ensure his side ran out 3-1 winners and took their place in the last eight draw- which paired the Solitude with Dungannon Swifts at home on March 4th.
CLIFTONVILLE: Gartside, Lowe, Addis (Turner 70’), Coates, Ives, Gallagher (McDonagh 70’), Doherty, Rory Hale (Casey 46’), Moore (Parkhouse 70’), Ronan Hale, Gormley.
COLERAINE: Deane, Kane, D Jarvis, Brown, A Jarvis, Carson (O’Mahony 46’), O’Donnell, Lynch (Fyfe 103’), McDermott (McCrudden 88’), Shevlin, Scott.
REFEREE: Tim Marshall
