Declan Devine hails 'outstanding' Glentoran youngster after former West Brom, Aston Villa and Birmingham City playmaker helps secure Co Antrim Shield progression

Thorndike spent time in the academies of Aston Villa, West Brom and Birmingham before arriving in East Belfast on deadline day this summer alongside ex-Northern Ireland youth international Danny Amos and Tuesday’s victory marked just his second Glens start.

The 22-year-old was named man of the match and Glens fans will undoubtedly be hoping to see more of the talented playmaker as the season progresses.

He previously scored four times in 22 appearances for Villa’s U21 side, including in the EFL Trophy against Charlton Athletic, with teammates including the likes of current Southampton striker Cameron Archer and Jaden Philogene.

Thorndike also played 16 times for West Brom U21s, further showcasing his undoubted potential, and Devine praised his players for following up Friday’s 3-1 Premiership win over rivals Linfield with Shield progression.

"Finley was outstanding, really creative, cheeky, expressive in his play and you look at James Singleton and Jay Donnelly with the effort and commitment they bring,” he told the club’s media channel. “I thought it (the win) was reasonably comfortable.

"We had chances to put the game to bed earlier. I think it's our sixth clean sheet out of seven home games - if you had have told me after the diabolical goal we gave away against Crusaders on the opening night that we wouldn't concede again until mid-October I'd have bit your hand off for it.

"We'd an appetite to defend...we were coming up against good players. I was slightly concerned that the highs of Friday night might have taken their eye off the ball a bit but the players deserve huge credit.”

Another positive for Devine is that striker Jay Donnelly netted for the second consecutive game and now has four in his last eight outings across competitions as the ex-Cliftonville ace shows signs of getting back to peak form.

Jordan Jenkins also netted a first goal since late-August and with David Fisher and Wassim Aouachria both featuring too, Devine is happy with the attacking options at his disposal.

"They were really good (Jenkins and Donnelly) and David Fisher too - he worked extremely hard on both Friday and Tuesday,” he added. “Jay and David are able to switch off one side and the other going through the middle so their rotation was good and they're a handful.

"You have the creativity behind that. We didn't risk Cammy Palmer but I thought it was important to go strong...you can't win a medal without winning the quarter-final so we had to make sure we got into the next round. That's an opportunity and one we've to understand means a lot to people."