Just two changes to the starting lineup with Joel Cooper in for Stephen Murray who is at a family wedding and Mark Sykes returns from suspension in place of the injured Andy Hall.

Jonny Tuffey saved a 39th minute penalty by Gary Liggett but from the resulting corner Dale Montgomery squeezed in a shot at the far post to give the Villagers what is probably a deserved lead.

Tuffey had already been called into action twice to deny Andrew Hoey, turning one shot round the post before sticking out a boot to block another shot.

Loughgall keeper Craig Robinson has made a couple of decent saves and Andrew Mitchell thought he had profited from the one mistake he made when he netted from the rebound after Robinson spilled a low Bobby Burns shot but the offside flag cut off the striker’s celebration.

A much better second half required if Glenavon is to get back into this game.

Fantastic save by Tuffey to deny Hoey but Ferris kept the ball in and smashed a shot off the post with Liggett firing the rebound home.

James Singleton headed in an 88th minute corner from Eric Foley to raise hopes of a Glenavon recovery but Andrew Mitchell contrived to head over in stoppage time from a Joel Cooper cross with substitute Marc Griffin seemingly better placed just behind the big striker.

In his post-match interview Gary Hamilton said “We blew it today, we just didn’t show up, we didn’t start the game. It’s so frustrating because the last thing we said to them was to make sure they showed the same attitude, desire and hunger that they’ve been showing recently in the league games and which has served them well but they didn’t. In the first half it was very embarrassing for ourselves because we didn’t work their goal keeper, we didn’t get many shots on goal, we didn’t get many crosses into the box. The first half especially cost us today. Jonny Tuffey’s made a great save from the penalty and we switch off and they score from a set play.

“In the second half their corner’s come over, he’s made a great save from the first effort and we don’t react again and pick up the second ball and they score the second goal. That was the difference today: they worked our goalkeeper a lot more than we worked theirs. Yes we’d a lot of clear-cut chances but we didn’t work the keeper, everything was off target. We weren’t clinical enough in front of goal.

“You have to pay credit to Loughgall. As I said before the game, this is a cup tie, you have to want it, and be up for it and unfortunately today for us we weren’t and they were, in abundance, and they’ve deservedly gone through to the semi-final.

“We’ve let the fans down that gave up their time to clear this pitch. It was a hell of an effort and I feel really, really bad for them because they’ve made this match happen today and we’ve went out on the pitch and let them down and didn’t give them a day out in the semi-final that they deserved.”