After a long night, Newry goalkeeper Tom Murphy was the hero for Newry City, as he saved three spot kicks over the course of Tuesday evening to see them edge their way past Carrick Rangers after a penalty shootout.
The game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, and 2-2 after 120, but Newry were the successful side on penalties, winning 3-1 to book their spot in the quarter-finals of the Bet McLean League Cup.
Referee Raymond Crangle was busy in the first half, as he awarded both sides a penalty apiece in the opening 20 minutes.
Daniel Purkis was brought down eight minutes into the game, and he was tasked with opening the scoring from 12 yards out. However, Newry shot stopper Murphy got down well to his left and made a strong save to keep the game level.
At the other end, Ciaran O'Connor seemed to be in a harmless area for the Carrick Rangers defence, but he was dragged to the floor inexplicably by Kurtis Forsythe, and once again Crangle was pointing to the spot.
Once again, the man who was fouled took the spot kick. The only difference was that O'Connor made no mistake, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and finding the net.
After a passive first half, Carrick began to assert themselves on the game in the early stages of the second period, and their pressure paid off just before the hour mark when a patient passing move finished with McGuckin putting Kyle Cherry in behind the Newry defence, and he slotted low past Murphy to level it.
Newry almost had an immediate reply but Adam Salley lashed his shot over from a tight angle, before every Newry supporter's heart skipped a beat moments later.
Carrick goalkeeper Ben McCauley cleared his lines from just inside his own half and the ball carried in the air, bounced over the head of Murphy and looked set for the Newry net, but luckily for the visitors bounced off the post and stayed out.
From that point on, neither side was able to win the game and into extra-time it went.
The first chance in ET went the way of Carrick, as a dangerous Purkis cross looked set for the head of Curtis Allen, but was acrobatically intercepted by Moan. The chance stayed alive for the hosts, but a low David Cushley drive went inches wide of the post.
Carrick had another chance when Purkis broke through, but he poked his shot over the bar in a one on one.
Then, as half-time of extra-time approached, Carrick found their breakthrough, as Reece Glendinning nailed a perfect free kick, curling his shot around the wall and past Murphy to make it 2-1.
The lead didn't last long though, as two minutes after the restart, O'Connor poked a bouncing ball forward, the Carrick defence failed to clear their lines and it came through for Salley to smash into the roof of the net.
Both sides had chances in the closing stages, as a Lewis MacKinnon header hit the base of the post, and Daniel Hughes had a half volley denied at point-blank range.
Forsythe must have thought he had won it in stoppage time, but his drilled shot came back out off the post and the game went into a penalty shootout.
In the shootout Murphy was the hero for Newry, as he kept out efforts from Allen and Purkis, before Mark Surgenor sent the final spot kick over the bar. City's takers went three from three through Georgie Poynton, Thomas Lockhart and Salley to win the lottery 3-1.