Glentoran 0 Dundalk 1:DUNDALK EDGED to a 1-0 victory over Glentoran in Belfast in the Setanta Sports Cup quarter-final first leg last night, but they travelled home knowing they could have easily been on the receiving end of a convincing defeat.
Mark Quigley smashed home a stunning volley with eight minutes remaining but had Glentoran taken their chances, particularly in the first half, they would have been home and dry.
Glentoran weathered an early storm and had chances through Matty Burrows – the Fifa world goal of the year nominee and Andy Waterworth before the latter headed straight at Peter Cherrie on 17 minutes.
Then on 25 minutes, Richard Gibson struck the post with a glancing header in the first of a series of let offs for the Louth men as 10 minutes later Burrows went through one-on-one with Cherrie, but the goalkeeper won the battle.
Dundalk’s only chance of the half came on 36 minutes when Jason Byrne’s shot from 15 yards at an angle was saved at the second attempt by Elliott Morris.
However, Byrne came close on two occasions to breaking the deadlock, shortly after the break.
The first, on 50 minutes saw him connect well with a Daniel Kearns cross only to find his header tipped over superbly by Morris. Then four minutes later his shot on the turn from 18 yards whizzed by the post.
But there was no sign of the attacking endeavour that saw Dundalk rip Glentoran’s rivals Linfield open at Windsor Park a couple of weeks ago and they almost conceded on 72 minutes when Glens skipper Colin Nixon headed narrowly over from a Burrows cross.
But as the game wore on the visitors made a late push and Byrne should have scored when he took advantage of a mix-up at the back involving Nixon and Morris, but shot wide.
Then on 82 minutes, that smash and grab they threatened bore fruit when Quigley smashed a thunderbolt of a strike into the roof of the net from the edge of the box after a corner was headed into his path.
GLENTORAN: Morris, McGovern, Nixon, Johnny Taylor, Hill, Waterworth, Fordyce, Clarke, Gawley, Burrows (Steele 74 mins), Gibson: Subs not used: Gardiner, Birney, Doran, Burns.
DUNDALK: Cherrie, Madden, Hector, Guthrie, N Murphy, Kearns, Maher, Bennett, Ward (McDonnell 90 mins), Quigley, Byrne (Breen 88 mins). Subs not used: P Murphy, Bolger, Griffin.
Referee: Arnold Hunter (Maguiresbridge).
