They might have opened the scoring after 15 minutes had Gary Browne been luckier with a 40-yard effort which went just wide while soon after City keeper Robert Robinson did well to deny Jason Hill.

The deadlock was broken on 32 minutes when Michael Halliday knocked on a Willo McDonagh cross only for the unfortunate Bryan McCrystal to head his attempted clearance past his own keeper.

Newry might well have levelled before the break when first Cormac McArdle and then Andy Crawford brought out the best in Elliott Morris.

However Glentoran tightened their grip on the game four minutes from the break with goal number two when Halliday got behind the defence to divert a McDonagh ball past Robinson.

Undeterred Newry kept plugging away and almost reduced the arrears when a David Ward shot from the edge of the area struck an upright before being gratefully gathered by Morris.