BALLYMENA United's reward for progressing to the quarter-finals of the JJB Sports Irish Cup will be an away trip to Glenavon.

Whilst the Sky Blues comfortably dealt with Ballinamallard United on Saturday, Marty Quinn's Glenavon side made harder work of Institute and required a late winner to guarantee their name in the hat.

The two clubs have a rich club history having contested three finals previously in 1940, 1959 and 1981, with Ballymena United having won two of those three finals (1940 and 1981) with Glenavon winning the blue riband trophy in 1959 by virtue of a replay.

More recently the two sides last met in the Irish Cup at the Sixth Round stage in 2002 with United still in the First Division, a Conor Forker hat-trick sealed a comfortable 3-0 victory at the Showgrounds for the Lurgan Blues.

The Braidmen will be looking to end a dismal run against top-flight opposition in the Irish Cup. As the damning statistic remains that United have only won three ties against top-flight opposition since winning the cup back in 1989. Two of those ties were against the now defunct Omagh Town; whilst the other victory was ironically against Glenavon at Mourneview Park in 1993, when a Neil Candlish hat-trick sealed a 3-0 Fifth Round victory.

The match will be played at Mourneview Park on Saturday 6th March with a 3pm kick-off with a place in the semi-finals at stake.

The full JJB Sports Irish Cup Quarter-Final draw:

Glentoran v. Linfield

Crusaders v. Portadown

Coleraine v Loughgall or (Newry City v. Larne)

Glenavon v Ballymena United