Cliftonville winger Jamie McDonagh eager to avoid 'nearly team' tag after Irish Cup stunner

Twenty four hours after failing to trouble the proverbial barn door, Jamie McDonagh hit the bullseye to arrow Cliftonville into the semi-finals of the Samuel Gelston's Irish Cup.

With Friday night’s last-eight tie with Coleraine locked at 1-1, the in-form winger fizzed an exquisite shot into the top corner from 25 yards out.

It was another stunner from McDonagh who has scored an array of 'worldies' against the likes of Ballymena United, Linfield and former club Glentoran in recent weeks.

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Not that an errant shooting practice session, conducted as darkness closed in on Solitude on Thursday night, would have given him a sample of what was to come at the same venue the following evening.

“It was a good strike and funny enough I had been practising it the previous night and I didn’t score one of them,” smiled McDonagh.

“I’m normally one of the last ones away from training because I’m always working on my finishing and trying to improve. I always stay behind for an extra 20 or 30 minutes.

“It didn’t work out in training but when the ball arrived at me against Coleraine, I thought I’d hit it. As soon as it left my boot, I had a feeling it was going in.”

McDonagh, one of the standout talents of the Irish League this season, has been conducting his own goal of the season competition since the turn of the year.

A long distance strike in a 2-1 defeat to the Glens was followed by an equally clinical strike in a 2-2 draw with Linfield and two wonder goals in a dramatic 2-2 draw at the Ballymena Showgrounds.

“It’s just been happening for me the last couple of months,” he said. “I’ve been working on my finishing and shots like that and it’s nice to see that work