It took two late scrambled goals, one on 89 minutes and the second deep into stoppage time to dispose of the Amateur League side.

"That's cup football," McFall shrugged as he caught his breath. " They hit a breakaway first-half goal and we hammered at them after that. They were game and determined, with many playing above and beyond the call of duty.

"But they were falling like ninepins with cramp at the end, and the door finally opened for us."

Kevin Braniff and Gary McCutcheon were the late assassins, answering a goal from Andrew Telford and Downpatrick - with the defence magnificent - were oh-so-unlucky.

Player-manager Stephen Galbraith said: "The 20-to-one odds for us to win were an insult. We should be going to Solitude for the quarter-finals. I'm gutted. I couldn't have asked more of my players, They deserve to be in the hat for the draw."

They took the lead on 35 minutes when Ports' midfielder Johnny Topley lost the ball, Andrew Telford picked it up and raced through to beat the isolated David Miskelly.

Portadown came within a whisker of equalising two minutes after the break when Marc McCann got in a header, but Straney tipped it brilliantly over the top.

Yet, Downpatrick should have made it 2-0 when another defensive mix-up presented Peter Telford with a vacant goal, but he shot past from just outside the box.

Then, as leg-weary Downpatrick tired, came those late sucker blows. First Braniff forced the ball over the line on 89 minutes and after Straney made a superb double save from Liggett, McCutcheon hit the winner.