The Great Escape
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Chaotic scenes in the Railway End after Steven Lowry’s dramatic late strike secured a narrow Irish Cup win for the Bannsiders.
A RELIEVED Coleraine manager Oran Kearney probably best summed up Saturday's dramatic events at the Showgrounds when he admitted that it was one of the worst performances in his time as boss before adding that it will probably go down as one of the most exciting! Certainly, anyone who was there would find it hard to disagree with that assessment.
Less than five minutes on the clock and 2-0 down to a brave Larne Tech Old Boys team from the Amateur League, it looked for all the world that Coleraine's involvement in this season's JJB Sports Irish Cup was ended.
All the hype surrounding the team at present and interest in the impending IRN-BRU League Cup final suddenly seemed an irrelevance as dreams of another cup run looked like turning into a nightmare.
Then, Paul Owens stepped up to the plate. On as a sub' just before the hour mark, the self-confessed Coleraine fan signed from Carrick Rangers a little over a week ago grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.
His long-range shot with just four minutes remaining was the catalyst for a comeback which had home fans celebrating wildly and left the visitors heart-broken.
Having pulled the score back to 2-1, Owens provided the cross for striker Shane Jennings to head home the equaliser in the 88th minute and repeated the trick in stoppage time, Jennings this time heading down for midfielder Stephen Lowry to blast home the winner.
It was an incredible finish to a frustrating afternoon for the home side who dominated possessionn but couldn't break through a determined Larne rearguard, superbly marshalled by former Bannsider Gary Haveron.
The hosts had over four times as many attempts on goal as their opponents but poor finishing and some inspired goalkeeping from the Larne 'keeper conspired to make it a long afternoon.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Larne Tech Old Boys sensationally took the lead just after the half hour, completely against the run of play, former Bannsider Bertie Fulton firing home after finding himself unmarked in the box.
They then doubled their lead seven minutes after the break, Lee Thompson taking advantage of some confusion in the Coleraine defence to score, leaving Coleraine with a mountain to climb.
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