NI League Cup: Holders Coleraine and Cliftonville ease into final with comfortable wins

Holders Coleraine hammered 10-man Warrenpoint Town 6-1 to book their place in the League Cup final.

Matthew Shevlin hit a hat-trick, with Conor McKendry, James McLaughlin and Jamie Glackin also on target for the Bannsiders in the semi-final.

They will meet Cliftonville in the decider after they eased past Ballymena United 3-0 at Solitude.

Ryan Curran scored twice with Joe Gormley adding a third for the Irish Premiership leaders.

The final will be played at a date to be announced in March after the Northern Ireland Football League announced earlier on Tuesday that it was being moved back from its provisional date of 19 February.

Coleraine still hold the trophy from winning it in February 2020 after last season's League Cup was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The deadlock was broken inside six minutes when Shevlin latched onto McKendry's brilliant pass and finished first time, and Coleraine's task was aided when Gavin Peers was sent off for a second yellow card on 42 minutes.

McKendry turned from provider to goalscorer with the final kick of the first half when he brushed past a couple of Warrenpoint challenges before firing home from the edge of the area.

Shevlin grabbed his second when he headed in McKendry's cross shortly after the restart, a goal which sparked a busy five-minute burst.

Kealan Dillon converted from 18 yards to pull a goal back for Point, however Coleraine's three-goal cushion was restored when Shevlin completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot on 61 minutes after being fouled.

McLaughlin, on the pitch a matter of minutes after returning from injury, made it five and Glackin completed the rout when he slotted into the bottom corner late on.

It was a quiet start to the last-four tie at Solitude in a game between two sides who met in the league 10 days ago, with hosts Cliftonville dominating possession without creating many chances.

That changed on 27 minutes when a sweeping move down the right found Gormley in space and when his low cross was mis-kicked by Paul O'Neill, in-form Curran was on hand to slot home from close range for the opener.

He doubled the lead with a penalty on the stroke of half time, coolly placing his spot-kick down the middle after goalkeeper Jordan Williamson had come rushing off his line and been adjudged to have pulled down Gormley in the box.

Gormley sealed Cliftonville's place in the final in the 53rd minute when he controlled a shot well despite losing his footing to beat Williamson at his near post after a good left-wing move.

Ballymena worked hard during the opening half an hour but, apart from a long-range Andy McGrory shot, failed to create any significant chances and never looked likely to get back into the match after falling behind to Curran's opener.