Cup exit for Glebe after conceding late Dundela goal

GLEBE boss Peter Cairns was gutted to lose to an 85th minute goal and tumble out of this year’s Irish Cup.

Glebe had bravely held out against Dundela at the ‘Hen Run’ in east Belfast on Saturday and were contemplating extra-time when they conceded.

And as they battled to level the match in the last five minutes they suffered the agony of having an effort cleared off the line and also missed what Cairns believes were some of the best chances of the match.

Cairns was serving a one match ban for this one and was banished from the dug-out and even the changing room so he gave his pre-match talk on the team bus after the fans got off.

Glebe were missing five players due to a combination of injuries and other circumstances. Out with knocks were James McLaughlin (knee), Chad Dobbin (foot) and Chrissy Nicholl (groin) and it meant Cairns was able to draft three youngsters into the squad and although they were on the bench and didn’t get on he believes the experience will have served them well.

Peter told the Times: “We played very well and I thought we did enough to get extra-time. They scored with five minutes to go and then we had one cleared off the line in the last minute and we pushed them really hard and created what were probably the best three chances of the match.

“It was a really good game of football and I was really proud of the way the players battled but it was not to be,” he added.

There was some violence on the streets of Belfast on Saturday associated with protests over the removal of the flag but although it is believed there were incidents not far from Dundela’s ground the Glebe team did not encounter any problems and the club wish to thank Dundela for their hospitality.

* Glebe will be staging their annual ‘Santa Run’ event on Christmas Eve in aid of Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice, starting at Joey’s Bar.