Glentoran boss Declan Devine saluted the character of his team after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Cliftonville punched their ticket to the semi-finals of the BetMcLean Cup.

The game finished scoreless after 90 minutes, but Reds striker Eric McWoods looked to have won it after shooting Jim Magilton’s boys into the lead in the second half of extra-time.

But Glentoran came roaring back and were level within four minutes through Jordan Jenkins.

So, it was down to sudden death with Pat Hoban, Jenkins, Cammy Palmer, Ryan Cooney and Nathaniel Ferris all successful from the spot for the Glens, while Rory Hale, Jonny Addis, Jack Keaney and Odhran Casey replied for the Reds.

placeholder image — Glentoran's players celebrate with William Crellin after saving Shea Gordon's penalty. (Photo by Andrew McCarroll/Pacemaker Press)

Unfortunately, Shea Gordon fluffed his lines when it mattered most, having his shot saved by former Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Billy Crellin.

Glentoran will now face Coleraine in the semi-finals next month, with Linfield going head-to-head with Ballymena United in the other tie.

Having taken only one point from a possible nine in their last three league games, Devine believes the victory will help kick-start his team’s season.

“It was a good response from us,” he said. “I’m delighted for the players because we have taken a bit of criticism in recent weeks and rightly so.

“Hopefully, that will be the platform for us to go on another decent run. Nothing is ever won in early December, so we continue to raise our standards.

“If I really want to be critical, we must be more clinical in and around the box. It’s important when you are on top to put the game to bed early.

“We had a lot of good performances, which pleased me. Our intensity in the ball was good...I thought our quality on the ball was really good.

“(Michael John) Kamara came in, he hasn’t played a lot of games, but he was outstanding. I got a call on the morning of the game; Marcus Kane wasn’t available because he received an injection yesterday.

“But Marcus being Marcus, he put himself forward. He certainly played a captain’s role.

“Cliftonville are a really good side, they have been one of the form teams in the league of late. They have had a lot of big results, but I believe we deserved the win.”

It was also a little bit of revenge for the Glens, who lost to the Reds in last season’s final at Windsor Park.

“Last year’s final was an occasion that blew me away,” added Devine. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get over the line in terms of winning the cup.

“The way our fans turned out was incredible, the stadium was filled with green, red and black. But we have so many big games coming up now, so we’ll park the bus in terms of the cup semi-final.

“We now face Cliftonville again at our place on Saturday in a big league game. It’s always difficult, these back-to-back games. We must make sure to recover properly.”