Release Date: 27/03/2010

GLENTORAN emerged victorious after a penalty shoot-out to defeat Coleraine in a gripping Co-operative Insurance Cup final at Windsor Park.

Scott Young's side held their nerve to convert four spot-kicks to Coleraine's one after the two camps shared four goals in an enthralling 120 minute battle.

Matty Burrows dealt the killer blow to the Bannsiders after team-mates Gary Hamilton, Kyle Neill and Daryl Fordyce put the Glens in a commanding position.

Coleraine, on the other hand, had only a successful Kyle McVey kick to their credit after Aaron Canning sent the ball over the bar and Darren Boyce struck an upright.

Indeed, the woodwork denied Davy Platt's side after just four minutes of the game when Stephen Dooley left Jason Hill flailing only to send a right-foot effort against the base of the post.

And, as if to rub salt into those early wounds, Glentoran went straight down the other end to score courtesy of Ciaran Martyn when he ran onto a Hamilton ball to lob the ball over Davy O'Hare.

But, in an almost unbelievable opening period, Coleraine got back on level terms on eight minutes when Rory Patterson teed Boyce up to send the ball across Johnny Taylor and into the far corner.

Then, on 32 minutes, Patterson fired the Bannsiders into the lead when he kept his composure to meet a Dooley through ball and slot a shot beyond Taylor.

Glentoran hit back, though, in first half stoppage time after Colin Nixon met Hamilton's corner to the back post with a header.

After the break the Glens created the better opportunities and might have levelled when substitute Dean Fitzgerald forced O'Hare to back pedal to tip a header over while, from the resultant corner, Richard Clarke did find the net only for it to be ruled out for a foul.

It then took a McVey goal line clearance two minutes from the end of normal time to save Coleraine after a Hamilton corner struck Gareth Harkin and looked destined for the net.

Extra-time produced only one real effort of note as the players began to tire when, right at the start of the second period, another Hamilton shot was deflected towards his own goal by Michael Hegarty only for the alert O'Hare, later named man-of-the-match, to produce a superb diving save to clear the danger.

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