Semi-Final Draw
“We are watching it from the dugout at the halfway line. I’m standing beside the fourth official and he gives the penalty. The referee and his assistant were right beside it and neither of them gave it. You have to be ultra-sure in decision making like that.
“It was the fourth official who made the decision in the 87th minute, there was no time to recover from that. They made the decision and we are out of the cup — that’s it.
“People have got to take responsibility in football. I’m talking about players, management and referees. I can’t legislate how some people conduct themselves but, unfortunately, I have to suffer the consequences.
“I went on to the pitch to shake the referee’s hand — and that’s hand on heart. What I witnessed from the referee is open to interpretation and I’m saying no more.”
Match winner McDaid admitted he had to blank out the mayhem around him and focus on putting the ball in the net. “I think I was due a bit of luck,” he laughed. “I didn’t hit it all that well. Sometimes the ones you scuff end up in the net.
“After Nav (Navid Nasseri) missed one last week, I decided to take on the responsibility. It was an important goal at a crucial time. We now face another massive test against Cliftonville in the next round.
“We’ve had some good dingdong battles with them over the last few years, particularly in the Europa League play-offs. They are a good side, but we’ll be well prepared for it.
“When it gets to the last four, it doesn’t really matter who you play.
“I think the way the league has shaped up this season, with five or six teams up there challenging at one stage, proves any team can beat the other on any given day.
“The gaffer (Mick McDermott) has banged on to us all season, you are only as good as your last game. We can now park the cup game and turn our attentions back to the league games.”
MICHAEL McCrudden said it is time to end more than 40 years of Irish Cup heartache at Cliftonville after firing them into the semi-finals.
The striker scored his first goal since joining in January as they overcome Dungannon Swifts at a blustery Stangmore Park on Saturday.
It was harder work than it should have been, with the Reds wasting numerous chances before finally edging through.
Now they face Glentoran for a place in domestic football’s showpiece game.
Cliftonville last won the cup back in 1979, but after Saturday, McCrudden sees no reason why they cannot end the wait.
“I thought that was the best we played going forward since I joined,” said the 28-year-old.
“We had worked on our attacking play in training over the last week or so and it paid dividends today.
“If we can play like that, we know we can beat anybody.
“It has been 41 years since this club lifted the Irish Cup and that is far too long and we want to put that right this season.”
In horrible conditions, this was a compelling clash.
Dungannon goalkeeper Sam Johnston pulled off a series of fine stops before McCrudden made the breakthrough in the 60th minute. He stabbed home at the back post after Conor McDermott’s corner had been flicked on by defender Jamie Harney.
Conor McMenamin had the chance to double the lead from the spot, but his penalty — awarded for Ross Redman’s foul on Joe Gormley — was saved.
The Swifts levelled in the 67 th minute through Daniel Hughes’ first time finish, but Cliftonville won it 11 minutes from the end when Gormley squared to Ryan Curran, who slotted home.
McCrudden’s goal was his first since joining from Derry City.
He added: “I was just delighted to get off the mark for the club and especially in the quarter-final of the cup.
“The longer it takes to get that first goal, it plays more on your mind, so it was important for me.
“To get on the scoresheet was great and then going on
DUNGANNON: Johnston, Coyle, Wilson, King, Redman, Campbell, Smyth, McGinty (Lowe, 62 mins) McAleer (Teggart, 9 mins (Waide, 68 mins)), Carvill, Hughes. Unused subs: Byrne, Patton, McGuinness, Devlin. CLIFTONVILLE: Brush, McMenamin, McDermott, Harney, A Donnelly, C Curran,
to win the tie makes it all the better.”
McCrudden (below) also had words of praise for Johnston, whose heroics kept the Swifts in the game until the finish.
He said: “Their goalkeeper was brilliant — he made a save from one of my shots and it went out for a corner. I went over to him and asked is there any chance he could let one in.
“It was unfortunate that he was on the losing side because, to be fair to him, he was excellent.
“In the games I have been involved in, that is as good an attacking performances as we’ve had, just in terms of creating chances. “Thankfully all the good play paid off and we got the win.”
Cliftonville will now face Glentoran for a place in the final.
Doherty (Breen, 82 mins), Rocks, R Curran, McCrudden, Gormley. Unused subs: Dunne, Foster, Wilson, Maguire, Casey, McCurry.
Referee: Jamie Robinson (Portadown)
Man of the match: Sam Johnston
Match rating: 8/10
Boss Paddy McLaughlin said: “Glentoran are a quality side and it will be another tough, tough game. We know it is going to be difficult, but that same goes for any of the three sides we could have drawn at this stage.”
The Swifts were deeply frustrated by two big penalty calls — twice Michael Carvill looked to be fouled, but both appeals were rejected.
The first was unfortunate, but the second, right at the end, had players surrounding referee Jamie Robinson.
It meant another quarter-final defeat — the third in five years — for the Tyrone side.
Johnston believes the Swifts must take encouragement from their performance going into the final weeks of the season.
“We were quite confident after the last couple of results, but anything can happen in cup games and it just wasn’t our day, unfortunately,” he said.
“We can take confidence from this performance into Tuesday night against Ballymena.”