The Bannsiders got off to a dream start when, after just three minutes, Marty Hunter nodded them into the lead. A Stephen Carson cross into the area fell for Kyle McVey whose subsequent shot was cleared but only as far as Hunter who duly returned the ball into the net.

They made it 2-0 on 12 minutes courtesy of a wonderful McVey back post finish after Matthew Crossan had delivered a free-kick into the area.

But Crusaders hit back just a couple of minutes later, though, when Jordan Owens was presented with a free header after Aaron Black had allowed a ball into the box to fall for him.

The Crues levelled on 19 minutes after Mark Dickson got on the end of a long clearance from Chris Keenan to deliver a stunning finish past Davy O'Hare.

Amazingly, the visitors moved into the lead just three minutes after that with Dickson again getting on the end of a ball played through the middle to round O'Hare and grab his second of the game.

And to cap a quite sensational opening half-an-hour the Crues grabbed their fourth on 28 minutes when Martin Donnelly unleashed a superbly executed free-kick past a full length O'Hare into the top right corner of the goal.

Coleraine were reduced to ten men with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining when John Neill was dismissed for a second bookable offence.

Crusaders extended their lead in stoppage time through Alain Emerson when he picked up a ball from the right to knock it past O'Hare at the near post.

Then, moments later, the by now shell shocked Bannsiders lost another man following Paddy McLaughlin's straight red card for what appeared to be dissent.