Yilmaz nets twice as battling Carrick lose out to holders Crusaders

Carrick Rangers made holders Crusaders do it the hard way to clinch a spot in the quarter-finals of the IRN-BRU League Cup last night with David Gibson’s last-gasp strike proving crucial in a 4-3 thriller at Dixon Park.

Michael Hughes’ men stunned The Crues when they went 2-0 up inside 15 minutes. Jonny Addis’ slide-rule pass sent Sencer Yilmaz in on goal and he steered the ball into the top corner.

Addis was again the provider three minutes later when he picked out the run of Correy Davidson who calmly found the bottom corner at Wayne Drummond’s near post.

Crusaders pulled one back through Gary McCutcheon who had the easiest of tap-ins after Robert Robinson parried a Matthew Snoddy effort.

And on the stroke of half-time former Rangers star Paul Heatley unleashed an unstoppable drive to level matters.

Yilmaz put Carrick 3-2 up midway through the second session, guiding in a glancing header from a Conor McCloskey corner.

Minutes later, Bohemians loanee Davidson squandered a good chance to put Rangers further ahead, thwarted by stopper Drummond.

Substitute Timmy Adamson restored parity with just under 15 minutes to play when he poked the ball past Robinson after some sloppy defending from Kyle Owens.

In the closing stages Paul Leeman’s header forced Robinson into an acrobatic finger-tip save. Carrick must have thought they had done enough to force extra-time but they switched off at the resulting corner and when the ball dropped to Gibson, he composed himself to slot home the match-winner.

It could, and should, have been five for the North Belfast men in the dying seconds but the unmarked David Rainey managed to blaze over when McCutcheon had unselfishly set him up.

Carrick Rangers: Robinson, Murray, West, Haveron, Owens, Harmon, McCloskey, Taggart, Yilmaz, Addis (Dick 68’), Davidson. Unused subs: McGilloway, Steele (GK), Crawford, McDermott.

Crusaders: Drummond, McKeown, McBride, Leeman, Gibson, Morrow (Caddell 37’), McMaster (Owens 78’), Snoddy, Heatley (Adamson 54’), Rainey, McCutcheon. Unused suns: McClean, Robinson.

Referee: Ross Dunlop (Carrickfergus).

Bookings:

Crusaders: Heatley 46’, McBride 70’

Carrick Rangers: Haveron 29’, Davidson 40’, Yilmaz 55’, Dick 68’, Owens 88’

Report by John Gillespie | Twitter: @Times_Sport

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