With the Bannsiders going into this second leg with a slender one goal advantage they knew that visitors Cliftonville needed to score twice to turn the tie around.

After a scoreless first half during which neither side showed much grit in front of goal bar an 18th minute Gareth Tommons effort it was the Reds who came closest to breaking the deadlock when Liam Boyce tested Davy O'Hare with a powerful 53rd minute header from a Ciaran Caldwell corner.

But just four minutes later Cliftonville managed to grab one of those goals they needed after Boyce evaded Marc Mukendi to deliver a cross for Chris Scannell to nod home from close range.

That set up a frantic, tense, nail biting finish.

The Reds thought they had doubled their lead on the night - and to crucially move ahead on aggregate - on 71 minutes when Kieran O'Connor was played through by George McMullan only for O'Hare to make a decisive block while, with two minutes left, McMullan saw a free-kick touched just over.

Then, in the final minute, Cliftonville had penalty claims waved away by referee Alan Black before Dooley intervened in added time when he slotted a Darren Boyce pass beyond John Connolly to put the issue beyond doubt.