Dungannon Swifts beat Cliftonville in shootout to reach Bet McLean League Cup semis

Dungannon Swifts continued the defence of their Bet McLean League Cup with a quarter final victory over Cliftonville after a penalty shootout.

Levi Ives long-range strike in the 8th minute of extra time looked to have won it for the home side, but Jonathan Lafferty scored the Swifts equaliser in the 116th minute.

Joe Gormley and Ryan Catney missed their spot-kicks, with Stephen Garrett's effort saved by Niall Morgan.

The opening 90 minutes had ended without a goal, and it was no surprise; a dire first half saw chances limited to Jay Donnelly firing over for the home side after 12 minutes, and the Swifts' Jonathan Lafferty failing to finish after beating the offside trap 10 minutes before the break.

The second half began with promise as Dungannon's Mark Patton went close with a dipping volley 4 minutes after the break.

Just a few minutes later, resurgent Reds captain Chris Curran saw his low shot blocked by Niall Morgan after ending up one-one-one with the keeper.

Curran then burst down the right and pulled it back for Joe Gormley, who shot straight at Morgan from 6 yards out to end a frantic few minutes of rare activity at Solitude.

However, in a reminder that the game was still open, lively winger Patton cut inside on his right foot and fired a shot beyond Neeson in the Cliftonville goal, but it was cleared off the line by Ives.

With 70 played, Patton was slipped in behind the Reds defence by Paul McElroy, and although his shot was well saved by Neeson, the Swifts man was visibly annoyed with himself for failing to convert.

Cliftonville were then left hugely frustrated after Rory Donnelly appeared to have headed the winner in the 84th minutes, only for the officials to decide that Morgan had blocked the ball before it had crossed the line, and the game sat at 0-0 at the end of the 90.

In the 9th minute of extra time, Ives stunned both teammates and opponents as he struck from fully 35 yards. The defender had collected a routine, square pass from Catney, before launching an unstoppable effort that tore into the top corner.

It prompted Cliftonville to sit deep and invite pressure, which soon resulted in Jarlath O'Rourke playing a long ball into Lafferty, who poked a finish beneath Neeson with 116 minutes played and take the game to penalties.

Gormley, Catney and Garrett all failed for the Reds, with the Swfits' McElroy, Hegarty and O'Rourke finding the net to send the Dungannon club into the final 4.