Five-star Sharples steals the show

However, there’s no disputing who is hogging Saturday’s headlines – Nicky Sharples, who scored all five Barn goals.

United manager Jim Pherson was full of praise for his frontman after the game. “On his day, Nicky can be virtually unplayable. He’s maybe had better all round games, but his finishing really was excellent.

“It was one of those days, where he was trying to pass the ball into the net. It’s when he tries to blast them and burst the net, his shots can fly everywhere. And he could have had even more, denied by the post and a couple of fine saves from Corner’s keeper Kyle Agnew.”

Oddly enough, it was Chimney, nevertheless, who possessed the early fire, taking a 10th minute lead.

However, the smoke signals were there for Chimney when Sharples brought out the best in the home keeper – before he fired in his first on the half hour, profiting from a neat interlink between Keith Millar and Gary McKee.

Sharples really was too hot to handle for the Chimney defence, and he grabbed his second on 55 minutes, scoring from the spot after he himself had triggered the defensive alarm.

The hat-trick was completed shortly afterwards, cutting in from the left to rifle the ball low and hard into the bottom corner.

The tie was then reduced to a ten a side contest when Paul Matthews and the Corner centre forward were dismissed, but this was a merely a temporary distraction to the Nicky Sharples show which got underway again with the goal of the match, a delicate little dink over Agnew.

The Antrim side had another player red carded, for an over the top challenge, by the time Sharples rounded it all off, following a neat flick by hard working strike partner Andy Kane.

On Saturday, it’s back to Haslett Park for the Border Regiment Cup visit of 1b side Dunmurry Young Men.

Barn United: Brennan – Kelly, King (Alexander), P Mathers, C Monteith – J Mathers (Thompson), McKee, Millar, Matthews – Kane (Harris), Sharples. Subs (unused) McCann, Patterson.