Ards hero Alex Moore savours ‘best personal display’ in Irish Cup defeat of Crusaders

Ards goalkeeper Alex Moore celebrates after his side's shock penalty shootout success over Crusaders

Patrick Cafolla celebrates putting Ards 1-0 up

Crusaders goalkeeper Jordan Williamson heads for the exit following his red card

Alex Moore denies Crusaders' Lloyd Anderson

Ards players react to their shootout success

Modest Ards hero Alex Moore said he was merely doing his job after an astonishing performance between the sticks shattered Crusaders’ Irish Cup dream.

The Cup holders were hotly fancied to blow away their managerless opponents at Seaview but Stephen Baxter’s side were shot down at the fifth round stage.

In the shock of the round, the magic of the Cup was being felt in the away dressing room, where 25-year-old Moore was rightly saluted for a stunning display of individual brilliance.

The Ards goalkeeper was magical but his team-mates also gave everything to the cause and when the penalty shootout arrived, they held their nerve.

Patrick Cafolla had scored for Ards, with Jordan Forsythe levelling the tie but the home side, who had keeper Jordan Williamson sent off in the second-half, were wasteful in front of goal.

Ethan Taggart slammed in the winning penalty after Moore had saved from Billy Joe Burns, the former Linfield defender who missed last year’s Final through suspension.

There was no disputing the man of the match. Former RBAI student Moore sharpened his goalkeeping skills at Linfield before moving to Dungannon Swifts and then Ards.

This must be the best performance of his career and it denied Crusaders a chance of winning the trophy for a third year in a row.

“That was a roller-coaster of emotions and to win on penalties leaves us over the moon, especially after beating a team like Crusaders,” said a