Indeed, at one point the Blues looked down and out after missing their first two spot-kicks but they rallied through Glenn Ferguson, Mark Dickson and Pat McShane to lead the shoot-out 3-2 before Dungannon's teenage striker Mark McAllister sent his decisive kick in vain to the left of Alan Mannus.

It was a heartbreaking moment for the Swifts after they had twice come from behind in normal time to push the treble chasing Blues all the way.

But in the end they proved no match for Mannus who, despite not putting in his greatest ever shift, emerged as the hero with an amazing three stops.

Linfield moved in front after barely three minutes when Dickson exploited a gap in the Swifts defence to skip past Dwayne Nelson to fire into the far corner.

However Dungannon levelled on 17 minutes courtesy of a stunning Rory Hamill lob beyond Mannus from some 25 yards after he chested the ball down when it fell loose for him.

And they might have taken the lead just three minutes after that when the normally composed Winkie Murphy almost turned the ball into his own net whilst attempting to clear a JP Gallagher ball.

But, on 37 minutes, Linfield regained the advantage after Ferguson turned a defender, with apparently no options open, to direct a half-volley beyond the floundering Nelson.

Yet, three minutes after that, the Swifts were once more back on level terms thanks to a Rodney McAree free-kick from just outside the error which Mannus somehow allowed to creep past him at the near post.

After the break a Jamie Mulgrew 20-yard drive took an awkward bounce in front of Nelson but the keeper managed to hold onto the ball.

In fact, the red-headed custodian began to grow in stature as the second half progressed with a number of crucial stops to keep his side in the frame.

On 77 minutes he had to be alert to block a Ferguson header whilst, a minute from time, he produced a fine stop from Murphy after a quickly taken throw-in was knocked into his path.

And Nelson continued to impress as the game drifted into extra-time. After just four minutes in he denied Thompson from close range followed by a breathtaking save to turn away a Ferguson header from just outside the six yard box.

It wasn't quite Gordon Banks and Pele but it was certainly just as memorable.

Dungannon had their moments, too, with McAllister threatening on 74 minutes when he outpaced Murphy only to fire a disappointing ball across goal and well wide of the target whilst, three minutes into added time, Everaldo - making his last appearance ahead of his return to Brazil - headed wide from a Hamill right-sided cross.

However, as the minutes wore on, it was Linfield who became more and more dominant but, try as they might, they just couldn't find a way through.

That left the dreaded penalties - and that awful start for the Blues.