THIS weekend saw the second round of this seasons Clear Water Irish Cup which saw teams across the North battle it out for a spot in the next round with hopes of lifting one of Europe's oldest trophies certainly in the pipeline for many sides.
Some cracking ties took place on Saturday afternoon, despite the appalling weather which made playing conditions challenging.
CLEAR WATER IRISH CUP ROUND TWO
Donegal Celtic 3
Willowbank 3
(DC win 4-3 on penalties)
The Wee Hoops overcame fellow West Belfast side Willowbank in a huge cup clash after a dramatic penalty shootout victory on the Suffolk Road.
The away side took the lead after Ryan McAreavey dispatched a penalty on the 20th minute to put the Bank one goal to the good.
DC fought back, turning the affair on its head when Anthony Nelson netted a quickfire double a minute apart after the forward kept his composure and pounced.
Less than a minute later the striker was on hand to make it 2-1 to the home side after the Bank defence were caught napping and before they knew it they were back in the centre circle to kick-off the game again.
Nelson claimed his hat trick when the Suffolk Road side struck another goal instantly after the restart to increase their lead to two goals but despite the setback Willowbank fought hard until the end.
Ciaran Manson reduced the deficit to just the one with 15 minutes remaining and in added time the Bank equalised after the was ball bundled over the line with the final touch coming off a Celtic defender.
The shootout proved a tense affair and the goalkeeping standard was truly a spectacle in itself with Nathan Kerr (DC) and Owen Kennedy (Willowbank) saving the opening three spot-kicks.
But Robert McVarnock kept a calm head amidst the chaos to give the Wee Hoops the advantage and Conor Glenholmes rounded off the scoring to send the home crowd into a frenzy.
Bryansburn Rangers 3
Immaculata 0
The Mac suffered a heavy second round loss in this season’s Irish cup at the hands of Bryansburn in Crawfordsburn on Saturday afternoon.
The West Belfast side held on to their clean sheet for just 20 minutes before the home side struck a goal to take the lead when Ally Ferguson opened the scoring to give his side a 1-0 lead before the break.
Ferguson claimed his brace in the second period as the Mac's hopes of progression suffered a dagger blow 20 minutes from time.
The Grosvenor men huffed and puffed but could not come up with the answers needed and with five minutes remaining in the tie Rory Cubbon put his side out of sight when his tidy finish confirmed the Mac's exit.
Crumlin United 4
Portaferry Rovers 0
A three-goal lead at the break made the second half a stroll for the home side as they welcomed Portaferry to Crumlin on Saturday afternoon to kickstart their Irish Cup campaign after a first round bye.
Eamonn Kelly's 17th minute strike got the Black and Navies up and running before Ryan Meneary doubled their lead just five minutes later as the home side went about their business with great purpose.
Just before the break Crumlin hit their third when Ruairi Morgan's effort flew into the net to end the match as a competition.
The second period was very much damage limitation for the Ards Peninsula lads as they looked to salvage a bit of pride. And indeed they largely managed to stem the flow, but substitute Daire McMenamin intervened to strike his side’s fourth goal of the afternoon and round off a very satisfactory day’s work for Crumlin United.
Colin Valley 2
Lisburn Rangers 4
A lively affair saw Lisburn take the spoils after a great game of football which had everything you could ask for in a cup tie.
An early red card for Anthony Burns saw the away side on the backfoot, but it didn’t dampen their attacking intent as ten-man Lisburn showed great resolve to grab a two-goal advantage, Alan McMurty and David McAllister both netting from close range.
Colin went into the break not quite sure what had just happened and they emerged knowing they simply had to make that numerical advantage count. And they threatened to do just that when Martin Young scored seconds after the restart to make it 2-1 and put the home tails up.
HUGE WIN: Crumlin Star soared to a 4-0 victory
The away side proved defensively resilient while still offering a goal threat, and sure enough they caught Valley on the break through a Karl Rossborough goal which re-established a two-goal lead on the 57th minute.
Christopher McIlhennon would give the home side further hope moments later as his effort found the back of the net and reduced the deficit to the minimum heading for the final half hour. Suddenly the home team were in the ascendant.
But Valley's hopes of a comeback were dealt a cruel blow when they too had a man sent off – Emmanuel Wilson seeing red ten minutes from time.
Gerard McMullan wrapped up the victory for Rangers after the striker finished smartly to give his side a two-goal win.
Complete Clear Water Irish Cup results:
DESERTMARTIN 3
DRUMANESS MILLS 3
(Drumaness win 5-4 penalties)
GLEBE RANGERS 3
AMBASSADORS 1
KILLYMOON RANGERS 2
NEWRY CITY AFC 4
NEWBUILDINGS UNITED 2
BANBRIDGE RANGERS 1
DUMMURRY YM 2
ST JAMES SWIFTS 5
SEAPATRICK 3
HEIGHTS 0
KILMORE REC 3
NEWTOWNE 2
LARNE TECH OB 1
WAKEHURST 4
KNOCKBREDA 1
WELLINGTON REC 0
ARDS RANGERS 4
BALLYMONEY UNITED 3
CASTLEWELLAN TOWN 1
MAIDEN CITY 3
