Setanta Sports Cup: Linfield and Glentoran crash out of cup

Michael Carvill and Stephen Rice

Linfield and Glentoran crashed out of the Setanta Sports Cup after suffering heavy aggregate defeats in the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland competition.

Trailing 4-1 after the first leg, David Armstrong gave the Blues the lead.

Thomas Stewart scored twice and Billy Dennehy once to secure a comfortable overall 7-2 success for Rovers.

The Glens were 5-0 down to Sligo Rovers after their first leg and Lee Lynch, Raffaele Cretaro and Liam Martin scored to complete an 8-0 aggregate victory.

Linfield started brightly at Windsor Park and Peter Thompson headed just wide from a Michael Carvill cross.

Armstrong headed in on 26 minutes after Niall Quinn's corner had been flicked on by Philip Lowry.

Six minutes later, Quinn lost possession inside his own half and Stewart fired home a left-foot drive to make it 1-1 on the night.

Karl Sheppard shot off target and Barry Murphy saved from Thompson, before Stewart took advantage of more poor defending to head home from close range in the 69th minute.

The home side had a shout for handball by Dennehy inside the area turned down and it was Dennehy who struck his team's third, his low effort going under the body of goalkeeper Ross Glendinning.

The match took place against a backdrop of tension in the stands as flares were thrown from the North Stand which housed Shamrock Rovers supporters and the visiting fans also clashed with police officers after trying to break through a cordon.

At the Oval, Lynch blasted the ball past Aaron Hogg from 30 yards after seven minutes for the opener.

Cretaro slid the ball past the onrushing Hogg for the second on 25 and Martin completed the rout five minutes from the end.

Sligo will now face Drogheda United in the semi-finals, with Shamrock Rovers taking on Cork City.