Glentoran avoided a potential banana skin as they saw off Championship team H&W Welders 4-2 in an exciting fifth round tie of the Clearer Water Irish Cup.
In a to-and-fro tie it was Glentoran who opened the scoring through James Singleton, before Ewan McCoubrey equalised. McCoubrey grabbed a second early in the second half, before the Glens made their experience count with further goals from David Fisher, an own goal from Lewis Patterson, and Frankie Hvid.
Declan Devine’s side are now unbeaten in eight games as they march on towards the next round.
In an entertaining opening to the game, both sides went close to scoring within the opening eight minutes.
First, Welders keeper Jack Mills thwarted a Dylan Connolly effort before Glens stopper Andrew Mills dived to his left to stop Brandon Doyle’s on-target effort, and the action didn’t stop there as the visitors grabbed the opener on eleven minutes.
A trademark Danny Amos corner was headed home by Singleton from point-blank range to break the deadlock after some poor defending by the home side.
The goal certainly did not dampen the spirits of Paul Kee’s side, and they were back on level terms just twelve minutes later.
On-form striker Tiarnan O’Connor’s shot took a deflection off Kodi Lyons-Foster which fell perfectly for McCoubrey and the midfielder neatly lobbed the ball over an advancing Mills.
As the half progressed both sides seemed to take a well-earned breather, with the tempo dropping. Jordan Jenkins went close to supplying important crosses, but on both occasions the Welders defence held firm as the first half finished all square.

Half Time: H&W Welders 1-1 Glentoran

Photographyby PACEMAKER
If the crowd had feared the second period may start on a flat footing, they couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Less than twenty seconds after the restart McCoubrey grabbed his second of the evening after O’Connor cleverly back-heeled the ball through the legs of Hvid and into the path of McCoubrey who made no mistake.
However, the Glens were not to be outdone and were back on level terms once more just twelve minutes later. Singleton’s cross was only half cleared to Johnny Russell whose returned header was smashed home by Fisher much to the delight of the away fans.
The game was then totally turned on its head on seventy minutes. After more neat wide play from Jenkins down the left, his delivery into the box was inadvertently turned home by Welders defender Patterson, who was trying to clear the danger.
The tie was then all but ended seven minutes later when Hvid nodded home from ten yards after an Amos shot was well saved from Mills in the Welders goal.
The Glens hung on for a well-earned victory and will now await news of their opponents in the next round of the Clearer Water Irish Cup.

The sixth-round draw takes place on Saturday evening.
Full Time: H&W Welders 2-4 Glentoran

Glentoran: Mills, Singleton, Amos, Lyons-Foster, Hvid, Sule (c), Palmer (Lindsay 59), Douglas (Russell 46), Connolly (Wassim 59), Fisher (Lindsay 86) and Jenkins (Donnelly 86)
Subs (Not used): Gyollai, Murphy,Thorndike