Setanta Cup Glentoran 3; Linfield 3: Linfield, Irish League champions-elect, are not giving up their status as All-Ireland champions without a fight. After dropping points in last week's opening Setanta Cup game against Derry City, the Blues were again held in the competition last night, but managed to maintain a remarkable unbeaten run this season with 10-men for most of a dramatic second-half at the Oval.
Gary Browne's 73rd minute equaliser prevented the Setanta Cup holders from recording victory after Oran Kearney's double strike - either side of Glen Ferguson's dismissal - gave the visitors a shock lead.
There was more to this game than survival in the Setanta Cup. Bragging rights between these two clubs are hotly contested regardless the stakes, but the home side had more than a point to prove.
Glentoran got off to a perfect start when veteran midfielder Darren Lockhart ripped through the Linfield defence and slipped the ball under the advancing Ian Mannus in the 11th minute. Mannus's younger brother Alan, the Glentoran goalkeeper, was then beaten by a dubious Paul McAreavey goal after 17 minutes.
McAreavey, standing unattended on the goal-line, scored amid moments of confusion in the Glentoran defence.
And Glentoran soon conceded another goal, from a penalty, just before the interval.
Colin Nixon sent Mannus the wrong way with the spot-kick that was awarded after Chris Morgan's flicked pass into the goalmouth struck the hand of defender William Murphy.
Then two Oran Kearney goals stunned the home side. The midfielder levelled just five minutes into the second-half and struck again in the 69th minute - during a period when the Blues dictated the game despite the loss of Ferguson, who was sent-off for lashing out at Peter McCann.
Browne's late effort kept alive Glentoran's slim hopes of survival in the tournament.
GLENTORAN: I Mannus, Melaugh, Nixon, Simpson, Holmes, McCann, Halliday (Glendinning, 65, McDonagh, Lockhart, Morgan (Reed, 86), Browne.
LINFIELD: A Mannus, Bailie, Hunter, Murphy, McShane, Gault, Kearney, McAreavey, Mouncey, Ferguson, Jephcott (Larmour, 71).
Referee: D McKeown.
