Under the guidance of first team coach George Neill - manager Alan McDonald sat out the game on health grounds - the visitors wasted no time getting their noses in front when, after just ten minutes, Keith Gillespie intercepted the ball to send a curling effort past Glenavon 'keeper Tuda Murphy.

The Lurgan Blues levelled after half-an-hour, though, when Stuart King blasted home a free-kick in off the crossbar from fully 40 yards.

Glentoran regained the advantage four minutes into the second half when skipper Colin Nixon got his head to a Gary Hamilton free-kick but ten minutes later Glenavon were back on level terms again through a low Gary Liggett shot from just inside the area.

However, barely a minute later, Fitzgerald sealed the tie for Glentoran after he made the most of a moment of lethargy in the home defence to turn the ball past Murphy.