Robbie ends students’ cup dream

IRISH CUP 6TH ROUND

LIGHTNING may not have struck twice at The Dub yesterday but Queen’s gutsy young players went out on their shields against Glentoran.

The Championship side – conquerors of Linfield in a stunning fifth round upset last month – gave the other half of the Big Two an almighty scare.

The Premiership leaders raced out of the traps and almost scored with their very first attack as Navid Nasseri cracked the post from the edge of the box.

Three minutes later Nasseri tried his luck again but slashed wildly at the ball, inadvertently teeing up Willie Garret, who butted an effort against the bar.

The dam burst in the sixth minute, Robbie McDaid profiting from a goalmouth scramble after Queen’s keeper Declan Brown spilled the ball. But the home side settled down and inched their way into the game as Jonah Mitchell began to find pockets of space.

And it was the Queen’s playmaker who then drew his side level in the 26th minute, ghosting into the box to head home Ronan Young’s peach of a cross.

Buoyed by their equaliser, the Students now looked the more composed side, while Glentoran relied on a hard-running, direct approach.

With half-time looming, the armwrestle tilted one way then the

next. Glentoran stole the lead in the 43rd minute after McDaid burst on to a long ball to beat Brown.

But Queen’s stormed back up the pitch to equalise a minute later, Matty Hughes jinking his way past a couple of weak challenges before drilling a low shot past keeper Marijan Antolovic.

The lively Hughes almost gave Queen’s the lead on the resumption but volleyed into the side-netting after Young whipped in another cracking cross.

McDaid was then denied his hattrick, losing out to Brown in a oneon-one after springing the home side’s rickety offside trap.

But the striker kept coming back for more and notched his third of the game in the 73rd minute.

Marcus Kane pinged a pass out to Elvio van Overbeek. The winger slid a clever cross along the ground and McDaid tapped home.

Queen’s stuck to their guns as they chased another equaliser, recycling possession but a Leon Bonnes daisy-cutter and a near post drive from Brendan Glackin were dealt with by Antolovic and the Glens clung on.

That simply wasn’t good enough from us

Mick McDermott

Queen’s were a credit

to their university

Mick McDermott

EQUALISER Jonah Mitchell makes it 1-1 A REAL DING DONG Matty Hughes, left, levels but Robbie McDaid’s hat-trick took the Glens through 3-2