Mick McDermott knows Glentoran cannot afford to waste opportunities

Trailing 1-0 at the break the Glens had the lion’s share of possession in the second half but failed to turn that into goals.

In fact it was the Bannsiders who hit the target as Matthew Shevlin added to Jamie Glackin’s first half strike to send the holders through.

“I’m always disappointed to go out of any cup competition,” said McDermott

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t score as we had enough chances.

“I thought we were the dominant team in the first half in terms of keeping the ball – I think they only had one chance which was the counter attack.

“But we were too deep in our possession, in and around the halfway line.

“We asked them at half-time to get and get similar possession but higher up the pitch which they did.

“When you’re in the ascendancy like that you’ve got to score, so to concede the second one was frustrating.

“How many chances did Coleraine have in second half? One. How many times where they in our box? Three.”

Ballymena United visit The Oval today buoyed by wins over Glenavon and Linfield and McDermott knows his side need to turn their chances into goals.

"We know what to expect from Ballymena,” he said.

“If we put in performances like we did at Coleraine we’ll create plenty of chances, as we usually do. It’s up to us to take them. If we do we’ll win. If not, we’ll be punished for it.”