Summary

  • Full time: Ballymena 1 Glenavon 2

  • Kyle Neill free-kick puts Glenavon into 1-0 lead

  • Ballymena equalise through skipper Allan Jenkins

  • Sub Mark Patton scores Glenavon winner

  • McKeown (Glenavon); Thompson & Kane (Ballymena) sent off

  1. RED CARDpublished at 15:04 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    Glenavon defender Gareth McKeown is sent-off by referee Raymond CrangleImage source, Darren Kidd/Presseye.com
    Image caption,

    Glenavon defender Gareth McKeown is sent-off by referee Raymond Crangle

    Drama as Gareth McKeown is shown a straight red card just before a Glenavon corner can be taken. Referee Raymond Crangle had spoken to McKeown and United goalkeeper Aaron Shanahan seconds earlier. Seems McKeown did not listen to the warning and was guilty of an elbowing offence - and the Lurgan side are down to 10 men.

  2. Ervin injuredpublished at 15:02 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    Ballymena United's experienced defender Jim Erwin limps off. The former Linfield player's cup final is over and Gavin Taggart comes on as the Sky Blues substitute.

  3. Postpublished at 15:00 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    "This game needs a goal" is a popular cliche - but what this game needs is a shot!

  4. Expert viewpublished at 14:54 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    David Jeffrey
    Former Linfield manager

    Glenn Ferguson deserves great credit this year. He is beginning to build a solid squad at Ballymena.

    From BBC2 Northern Ireland

  5. Quiet openingpublished at 14:46 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    Fairly cagey stuff in the opening exchanges. No clear-cut chances in the first 10 minutes at Windsor Park.

  6. KICK-OFFpublished at 14:34 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    Ballymena get the final underway, playing towards the old kop end

  7. Teams are outpublished at 14:29 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    The Glenavon and Ballymena teams come out for the 2014 Irish Cup finalImage source, Press Eye
    Image caption,

    The Glenavon and Ballymena teams come out for the 2014 Irish Cup final

    Skippers Kris Lindsay of Glenavon and Ballymena's Allan Jenkins do the honours as Irish Football Association president Jim Shaw is introduced to the players. Almost time.

  8. Winner takes it allpublished at 14:17 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    Chris Morgan
    BBC Sport NI pundit

    Both teams have big traditions but have not delivered in recent years. The occasion is brilliant but cup finals are all about winning.

    From BBC2 Northern Ireland

  9. On the benchpublished at 13:58 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    Ballymena substitutes: Alan Davidson, Aaron Stewart, Gavin Taggart, Mark Surgenor, Neal Gawley.

    Glenavon substitutes: William Murphy, Andy Kilmartin, Mark Patton, Gary Hamilton, David Rainey

  10. Cup final line-ups announcedpublished at 13:31 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    Just an hour until the kick-off and time for managers Glenn Ferguson and Gary Hamilton to reveal their hands.

    Ballymena United: Aaron Shanahan, Jim Ervin, Stephen McBride, Johnny Taylor, David Munster, Tony Kane, Gary Thompson, Allan Jenkins, Alan Teggart, David Cushley, Darren Boyce.

    Glenavon: James McGrath, Rhys Marshall, Kris Lindsay, Gareth McKeown, James Singleton, Andy McGrory, Ciaran Martyn, Shane McCabe, Kyle Neill, Guy Bates, Tiarnan Mulvenna.

  11. Boss Gary Hamilton's boyhood dreampublished at 13:25 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    Glenavon's Gary Hamilton was a team mascot 26 years agoImage source, Press Eye
    Image caption,

    Glenavon's Gary Hamilton was a team mascot 26 years ago

    Here is a nice piece of pre-match trivia. The last time player-manager Gary Hamilton led Glenavon out for a cup final here he was the team mascot. It was the 1988 final and Hamilton's heroes lost 1-0 to Glentoran at Windsor, Glens legend Jim Cleary scoring with a late penalty.

  12. Ready for the big gamepublished at 12:47 British Summer Time 3 May 2014

    Good afternoon from Windsor Park which will stage the 2014 Irish Cup final between Premiership clubs Ballymena United and Glenavon. This is the first cup final not involving a Belfast club since Portadown's 5-1 win over Larne in 2005.

    Windsor Park hosts the 2014 Irish Cup finalImage source, BBC Sport
    Image caption,

    Windsor Park hosts the 2014 Irish Cup final

    With the Irish League's showpiece game featuring two 'country' teams who haven't been in a final for quite a while, the south Belfast venue should witness a colourful occasion. The game is live on BBC2 Northern Ireland, Radio Ulster and the BBC Sport website.

    This is the last match at Windsor before Northern Ireland's international stadium is redeveloped. Two new stands will be built and the ground will have a capacity of 18,000.

  13. Coverage infopublished at 10:33 British Summer Time 2 May 2014

    The match is live on BBC Two Northern Ireland from 2.10pm and BBC Radio Ulster from 2pm.