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In this Rushmere Shopping
Mid-Ulster Cup quarter
final tie against Banbridge Town, Glenavon were seeking to erase the memory of an embarrassing
1-6 defeat in the Bob Radcliffe Cup in October. A confidently struck debut goal from the
spot for Derek Delaney opened the scoring after Gerard McMahon was
felled as he was about to shoot by Mark Quinn.
Town replied 19 minutes later with a glancing header by
Rees from Moffatt's in-swinging free kick but Walsh restored the home side's lead within a
minute after a great run and, though his initial shot was blocked, the
ball broke kindly and he calmly side footed it past Havern. Minutes
later Havern saved Delaney's shot after a great through ball by McMahon
had picked him out. In the 36th minute Quinn crossed to the far post but
Moffatt couldn't quite stretch enough to get a touch. A minute later saw
Havern's brilliant one-handed save denying a great effort by McMahon,
with Walsh providing the killer pass to split the Town defence. Seconds
later Walsh cut a great ball back from the bye line which McCloskey
almost netted with an audacious Henry-like back heel but Havern just got
a hand to it and stopped it on the goal line.
Dessie Gorman showed he still had a good touch when he controlled a
pass into the Glenavon penalty area and would have pulled a goal back for Town
but he was denied by a fine fingertip save by McDonald. Quinn fired over
the Glenavon bar after McMahon had slipped in trying to clear a ball in
the Glenavon box. McMahon himself was unlucky in the 44th minute when he
evaded a tackle on the 18 yard line and curled a shot just inches wide.
Seconds later Ryan Evans struck a firm shot that McDonald pushed over
the bar.
In first
half injury time Walsh scored his second when he robbed Ally Evans and
raced through to the box and, though the keeper stopped his first effort, he was able to nod in the
rebound.
The Banbridge keeper was surely the visitor's man of the match as he
continued to deny the home side in the second half but even he was helpless to prevent
McCloskey scoring in the 70th minute when
he drilled a low shot into the opposite corner as Glenavon broke in
numbers. Goal number 5 was a simple tap in for substitute Aiden McVeigh
with Walsh supplying the precision low cross after Topley's diagonal
ball had set him away down the right touchline.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable game, with the visitors contributing
fully to the entertainment, playing an attractive brand of football which
has earned them the leadership of the Second Division and a place in the
6th round of the Irish Cup.
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