Armagh City Upsets Glenavon; Crusaders and Cliftonville Secure Late Wins in BetMcLean Cup

Armagh City, a Championship team, achieved an upset victory over top-flight club Glenavon via a penalty shootout. Concurrently, the BetMcLean Cup saw Crusaders and Cliftonville secure wins in injury time. Following a goalless draw after extra-time, the Championship team ultimately triumphed over Glenavon with an 8-7 penalty shootout victory, after James Carroll missed the decisive sudden-death penalty. At Seaview, Crusaders advanced to the next round of the last-16, defeating Coleraine 2-1, with Philip Lowry scoring the winning goal in injury time. Matthew Shevlin initially put Coleraine ahead, but Lowry subsequently scored two goals to secure the victory for the Seaview team. Cliftonville also secured a late victory, with Ryan Corrigan scoring in stoppage time to give the Reds a 1-0 win against Bangor. Meanwhile, Dungannon Swifts overcame a challenge to defeat Dollingstown 3-1 at Stangmore Park. Ballymena United secured a 1-0 win against Ards at the Showgrounds, and Annagh United comfortably defeated Queen’s University 2-0. Due to their commitments in the Uefa Conference League, Larne’s match against Institute is scheduled for 19 November, and the game between Linfield and Glentoran has been rescheduled to 3 December. The most surprising result of the evening occurred at Holm Park, where Armagh City unexpectedly defeated Premiership team Glenavon in a penalty shootout. The two teams remained level after 120 minutes of play, despite Glenavon having a penalty appeal dismissed during extra-time. In the shootout, Michael O’Connor missed Glenavon’s initial penalty, bringing Armagh within a single successful kick of advancing to the subsequent round. Nevertheless, Noeem Oladunjoye failed to convert the Championship team’s fifth penalty, which extended the shootout into sudden death. Both teams successfully converted their subsequent attempts, then Aaron Coogan missed for the home side; however, goalkeeper Gareth Deane was unable to capitalize on this miss to secure the victory for Glenavon. This proved to be a critical moment, as Jack Clarke then put Armagh ahead 8-7, preceding Carroll’s significant and decisive missed penalty. Philip Lowry’s dramatic winning goal in stoppage time ultimately decided the outcome, as Crusaders defeated Coleraine 2-1 at Seaview in a thrilling match. Coleraine, known as the Bannsiders, controlled the initial phases of the game, with Jamie McGonigle failing to convert two distinct scoring chances before the home team, Crusaders, hit the woodwork with a long-range shot from Mal Smith midway through the first half. However, the visiting side broke the stalemate in the 17th minute when Shevlin extended his impressive scoring run. He registered his 13th goal of the current season with an accurate header, following Connor Murray’s first-time cross which originated from McGonigle’s backheel pass. Following the interval, the Crues appeared revitalized and equalized when Lowry’s deflected shot found the goal, set up by Stewart Nixon’s knockdown from Jordan Stewart’s delivery. Dean Shiels’ team maintained a strong defensive stance as the North Belfast club pushed for a winning goal. As the game seemed destined for a draw, O’Rourke delivered a crucial assist in the 90th minute. The full-back’s accurate free-kick reached Lowry at the back post, and the midfielder volleyed the ball into the net, igniting enthusiastic celebrations among the home crowd and guaranteeing a quarter-final spot for Declan Caddell’s squad. Donal Rocks was the sole goal scorer for Ballymena United. Cliftonville also experienced a late decisive moment, requiring Corrigan’s late goal to secure their progression to the next round against Championship team Bangor. Dungannon Swifts, the 2018 trophy winners, overcame a challenging match against Premier Intermediate Side Dollingstown, ultimately winning 3-1. Kyle McGuiggan initially gave the third-tier team the lead at Stangmore Park, before Andrew Mitchell scored an equalizer in the 68th minute. John McGovern then reversed the scoreline ten minutes later, and James Knowles confirmed the victory in injury time. Ballymena United advanced to the quarter-finals, with Donal Rocks scoring an early goal at the Showgrounds that allowed the Sky Blues to narrowly defeat Ards. Annagh United also secured their spot in the subsequent round, achieving a comfortable 2-0 home win against Queen’s University, a team that had previously surprised Carrick Rangers in the first round. Kenny Ximines scored the opening goal in the first half, followed by Jack Hastings who sealed the victory. The draw for both the quarter-finals and semi-finals is scheduled for Wednesday at 15:00 GMT. The match results were as follows: Annagh United 2-0 Queen’s University; Armagh City 0-0 Glenavon (Armagh won 8-7 on penalties); Ballymena United 1-0 Ards; Bangor 0-1 Cliftonville; Crusaders 2-1 Coleraine; Dungannon Swifts 3-1 Dollingstown.