It all Adds up

Cliftonville 3-2 Glenavon

Jonny Addis smashed home an extra-time winner to help Cliftonville get the better of Glenavon in an electrifying Clearer Water Irish Cup sixth round tie at Solitude this afternoon.

Arran Pettifer’s first goal for the Reds handed the hosts a half-time advantage and, though Michael O’Connor drew the Lurgan Blues level, a sensational late strike from Rory Hale looked to have put the Cup holders into the hat for the quarter-final draw.

Five minutes into injury-time, however, visiting skipper Barney McKeown produced a cool finish when he seized upon a loose ball to send the tie into an additional 30 minutes – but Addis had the final say when he rocketed a left-footed blast into the far corner after some fine work in the build-up from Axel Piesold.

That proved the final act of an all-action affair that almost burst into life inside the opening couple of minutes when Glenavon striker O’Connor volleyed against the crossbar from an incorrectly awarded corner.

At the other end, a stretching Destiny Ojo was unable to turn a Joe Gormley cross over the line before Gormley smashed an attempt of his own against the post.

Gormley then went close on two further occasions, just striking wide of either upright, before O’Connor planted a  shot straight at David Odumosu from a promising position.

Home debutant Jack Keaney then saw a header turned against the crossbar by Lurgan Blues winger Peter Campbell and, after Pettifer had missed the target with a shot from distance, superb defending from McKeown stopped Ojo from netting after Gormley had lifted the ball over goalkeeper Mark Byrne.

A fantastic challenge from Pettifer stopped O’Connor from getting a shot away on the edge of the box, with Odumosu making a spectacular stop from Niall Quinn ahead of the deadlock finally being broken when Ojo did well to get the better of McKeown and steer a ball into the middle, where Pettifer’s perfectly timed run ended with the ball in the net.

There merest of touches from Byrne stopped Gormley making it 2-0 early in the second period and that proved crucial because it wasn’t long before the away side were level; O’Connor making the most of plenty of time and space to head in from Campbell’s free-kick delivery.

Cliftonville almost reclaimed the lead instantly but, from Hale’s cross, the luckless Gormley’s low shot crept just inches wide of the upright.

A well-timed block from David Toure stopped Ojo from testing Byrne and, after Odumosu had touched O’Connor’s header over the top, an end-to-end affair saw the Reds’ keeper make a point-blank stop from Rhys Marshall, with Ojo completing the job with a goal-line clearance.

The Reds eventually found the net again when substitute Ryan Corrigan’s wonderful touch plucked Luke Conlan’s delivery out of the sky and he laid back for Hale, who picked his spot in the top corner with a howitzer of a strike.

That had looked set to secure victory until virtually the final kick of five minutes’ injury-time when Odumosu – who felt he was impeded by a challenge from Toure – was unable to keep hold of a catch and McKeown was in the right place at the right time to take full advantage and send the tie into extra-time.

Out of keeping with the first 90 minutes, chances were at more of a premium during the additional 30 minutes but Cliftonville made their one big opportunity count when Piesold showed good patience before slipping a defence-splitting pass into Addis’ path and the defender made no mistake with an arrowed drive to send the holders through.

Cliftonville: Odumosu, Addis, Pettifer (Piesold, 76 mins), Kearney (Lowe, 106 mins), Hale, Ojo (Corrigan, 76 mins), Conlan, Gormley (Curran, 90 mins), Casey (Glynn, 66 mins), Keaney, Wilson. Unused subs: Ridd, McGuinness.