Curtis Allen's second half equaliser cancelled Ryan Harper's 45th minute opener to leave the quarter-final tie delicately poised after the first leg.

Both managers fielded strong sides for the cup affair but it was Glenavon who fashioned the best of the early chances.

In the 18th minute Tony Grant raced to the by-line and fizzed over a dangerous low cross that just needed a touch at the near post from Davy Larmour, but the striker arrived just a fraction of a second too late.

Soon after Curtis Allen curled a free kick from the corner of the Glenavon penalty area around the wall and it took an alert Hugh Dickson to clear the danger, and in the 34th minute Distillery striker Gary Browne picked up a loose ball a couple of yards outside the Glenavon box before striking a shot towards the top corner, but Tuda Murphy plucked it out of the air.

In the final minute of the half Glenavon took a deserved lead when Ryan Harpur drilled a low shot from the corner of the Distillery box and Adrian Harper, lying on the ground six yards out, deflected it past Mathews and into the bottom corner.

Curtis Allen wasted a great chance to equalise with the second half barely a minute old when he scooped Mark Cooling's excellent cross over the bar from eight yards.

The young Distillery striker did make it 1-1 in the 64th minute with a well-struck 22-yard free kick after he was himself pulled back by Hugh Dickson.

Gary Muir could have wrapped up a win for the visitors in the final minute but he curled a right foot shot from the edge of the area wide of Murphy's left hand post.

Glenavon: Murphy, Hudson, Magee, Dickson, Carville, Harper (Finlay 77), Harpur, Scates, Murray (Scott 57), Grant, Larmour.

Subs not used: Buchanan, Liggett, Haughey

Distillery: Mathews, McCann, Thompson, Hamilton, Buchanan, Muir, Kilmartin, Cooling, Browne (Evans 60), Browne (Armour 75), Allen (Corey 87).

Subs not used: Muir, Hall