Scullion strikes to send Coleraine into quarter finals

The diminutive forward fired home from close range in the 90th minute, his third goal in as many games against the Sky Blues this term, to send the large travelling support into raptures.

It looked as though Gary Liggett had snatched a replay for Glenn Ferguson’s men as he headed home from close range in the 88th minute to tie the game up at 2-2.

But in the very next attack Scullion hooked the ball home after the hosts failed to deal with Ruairi Harkin’s corner.

Coleraine made a bright start to proceedings on the heavy pitch at Warden Street.

But they found themselves a goal down in the 12th minute in a moment which keeper Michael Doherty will be hoping to forget.

The Bannsiders thought they had cleared the danger as the ball fell to Gavin Taggart 25 yards from goal. The midfielder lobbed a speculative shot towards goal which somehow bounced past Doherty and into the net.

Coleraine responded though as Curtis Allen went agonisingly close on 15 minutes as his shot beat home keeper Dwayne Nelson but clipped the crossbar.

The striker wasn’t to be denied six minutes later though. Some good build up down the left saw Scullion combine with Ryan McIlmoyle. The forward found space on the edge of the box and clipped a perfect cross in for Allen to nod past Nelson for the equaliser.

Ballymena skipper Allan Jenkins went close to edging his side back in front again on 31 minutes as he found space just outside the penalty area, but his curling effort didn’t dip in time.

Coleraine had a big shout for a penalty waved away by referee Davy Malcolm right on half time. McIlmoyle found space on the left to swing the ball into the box and it struck Chris Rodgers on the hand on its way through but the ref was unmoved much to the Bannsiders disbelief.