Irish Cup: Crusaders 4-1 Glentoran
Last updated 7th Jan 2019
Paul Heatley scored twice as Crusaders beat Glentoran 4-1 in the 5th round of the Irish Cup.
Gwiazda had struck to level for the Glens, with Jordan Owens getting the decisive third for the home side, and Matthew Snoddy adding a 4th with the final touch.
Glentoran had looked lively in their first game since the departure of Ronnie McFall, but were ultimately unable to hold off Stephen Baxter's side.
Although the match eventually opened up in the second half, it came on the back of a tense, edgy first half that failed to see either side make much impact. Crues striker Owens went close with a 15th minute header, with Curtis Allen volleying over for the Glens with 23 minutes played.
The best chance of the opening period came to the visitors on the back of a defensive error. Kyle Owens' header back to his keeper fell short, and although former Seaview striker Darren Murray was able to nip in and steal possession, his glancing touch sent the ball inches wide of the post.
8 minutes into the second half, Heatley headed Crusaders into the lead after connecting with Ross Clarke's cross from the right. The winger darted between 2 defenders and planted his effort just beneath Elliott Morris, with the ball squirming under the keeper and crossing the line.
However, it took just 2 minutes for the Glentoran equaliser to arrive, with debutant midfielder Lukas Gwiazda thumping home a header from Curtin Allen's cross from the right.
It sparked the game into life, and it was Crusaders who took advantage and restored their lead in the 69th minute. A long ball forward found Heatley, who took a touch before evading a couple of Glentoran defenders and poking the ball past Morris from close range.
Owens killed the game off in the 75th minute when he bundled home from close range after David Cushley's corner caused some chaos in the Glentoran box.
The Crues remained comfortable throughout the remainder, and Matthew Snoddy added a 4th with the final touch after racing on to Nathan Kerr's under-hit pass back to his keeper.