BALDE BOOKS LAST EIGHT SPOT FOR VILLAGERS
A goal early in the second half was enough for Loughgall to beat Annagh United at the BMG Arena and progress to the last eight of the BetMcLean Cup.
A first half of few notable chances, both sides saw some action early on with Brandon Doyle firing over for Annagh from Jack Evans' lay-off while the Villagers saw a Jay Boyd effort come off Conall Young for a corner.
Jordan Gibson then fired wide for the visitors on 19 minutes before Caolan McAleer sent an effort into the side netting midway through the half.
Loughgall might have found a way through not long after the interval but United keeper Joel Little was alert to twice deny Boyd.
But the deadlock was eventually broken just four minutes after that through Alberto Balde's superb effort into the top right corner after he displayed some nice footwork to get past his marker.
Annagh came within a whisker of levelling just a couple of minutes later, however, when Declan Carville rattled the crossbar with a strike from just inside the area after connecting with a corner.
Almost straightaway Loughgall then went up the other end of the pitch and were only denied doubling their lead when Benji Magee was thwarted by a Jordan Campbell block.
The sides traded chances again with around ten minutes remaining. Evans cut the ball back in from the left for Annagh but keeper Daniel Devine dealt with the threat before play switched for Aaron Duke to test Little from just five yards out.
Loughgall will travel the short distance to Shamrock Park to face Portadown in the quarter-finals on December 5th.
Annagh United: Little, Calvert, Campbell, Finnegan, Carville, Evans, Murray, Young, Stewart, Doyle, McCullough subs McClure, Henderson, Taylor, Traczykowski, Gibson, Upton
Loughgall: Devine, Carson, Rea, Brogan, McAleer, Norton, Gibson, Balde, Carroll, Boyd, Loughran subs Turker, Andrade, Hoey, Patton, Batlowka, Magee, Duke
Substitution 
Substitution 
