The game will be memorable for Curtis Allen's hat-trick, his first goals for the Blues in his first competitive domestic start.

Both sides enjoyed decent efforts on goal inside the opening quarter-of-an-hour when first David Munster fired just wide for the visitors from around 14 yards before, at the other end, Stephen Garrett just failed to find the target.

Linfield edged in front on 29 minutes, though, Curtis Allen touched the ball home at the back post after a Billy Joe Burns cross was missed by Jim Ervin.

It was 2-0 a couple of minutes from the break when Ervin fired into the bottom right hand corner from the spot after Paul Munster had been brought down by Emmett Friars.

And it got worse for Newry right on the stroke of half-time when Garrett was dismissed by referee Alan Black for a tackle on Conor Hagan.

Allen added a third five minutes after the break following good work from Burns and Mark Miskimmin before, on 55 minutes, Ervin knocked home his second spot-kick of the afternoon following a David Munster foul on Michael Carvill.

Then, on 69 minutes, Allen laid claim to the match ball with his third goal of the game after Miskimmin had brought the ball into the area.

The scoring was completed five minutes from time after Kris Lindsay got a head to a Carvill corner.