Dergview2–6Ballymena United

BALLYMENA United overcame an early scare to progress to the semi-finals of the Irn-Bru League Cup following victory over Dergview at Darragh Park.

It was the first competitive meeting between the two sides but turned into a nightmare for United as the Championship 1 club stormed into an early lead.

With just three minutes elapsed, Duwayne McManus capitalized on poor defending from Aaron Stewart to fire past Wayne Drummond in the Ballymena United goal and put the County Tyrone team into a surprise lead.

Eight minutes later an upset was well and truly on the cards as Ryan Campbell drove the ball home to double the home side's lead and United's sizeable travelling support was left stunning and staring elimination from the competition in the face.

The two goal advantage lasted only two minutes as struggling United pulled a goal from no-where when Ally Teggart's cross was met with a looping Jordan Baker header to bring the Sky Blues back into the game with his sixth goal of the season.

This settled United and with 23 minutes gone, they drew the scores level again when Baker's low drive was pushed onto the post by home goalkeeper Stefan McCusker but it bounced out only as far as captain Allan Jenkins who tapped home.

A rip-roaring cup tie already was given another dimension just five minutes later when defender Jonathan McCaskie was given a straight red card for bringing down Jordan Baker as the former Portadown striker bombed through on goal – reducing Dergview to ten men.

The game was level going into the break but the Skies took the lead just three minutes into the second period and never looked back after that – as Gary McCutcheon teed up Ally Teggart for arguably the goal of the game when he struck a powerful shot from just inside the edge of the box with the outside of his boot, giving the keeper no chance.

Gary McCutcheon soon single handedly set about putting the game beyond the reach of the lower league side, firstly dispatching an Ally Teggart cross on 54 minutes from close range and then 60 seconds later repeating the process finding time and space to drill Aaron Stewart's superb low cross from the left into the back of the net to put the Braidmen 5-2 up on the evening.

With 20 minutes remaining the impressive Scottish striker grabbed his second hat-trick of the season and his 20th goal of the season so far when he chased down Wayne Drummond's long punt upfield and wrestled the ball away from Liam McMenamin before firing home.

So a first League Cup semi-final since 2002 beckons for Roy Walker's Ballymena United side awaits.

In the final minute of the game Eamonn Murray lofted in a cross which found captain Allan Jenkins at the back post and with the goal at his mercy, he headed just wide.