Report By Glenn Kelly
Larne moved to within a point of leaders Linfield after a smash-and-grab 2-0 victory of Crusaders at Seaview in tonight’s Sport’s Direct Premiership tie. In a tetchy affair where the home side dominated for large swathes of the game, it was a goal in each half against the run of play that condemned Stephen Baxter’s side to five defeats in seven games. Joe Thomson scored Larne’s opener on the stroke of half-time, before Leroy Millar made the result a foregone conclusion late-on.
On a crisp evening in the north of the city, home supporters were well warmed-up after only two minutes on the clock with the first chance of the evening. Jarlath O’Rourke with the swinging cross that put Philip Lowry through on goal, but the midfielder could not make a good connection and the ball ended up tamely going through to the arms of Larne goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson. The home side continued to dominate throughout the half, keeping the dangermen of Larne Andy Ryan and Lee Bonis in check, and they should have had a penalty in the 35th minute. Adam Lecky ran to collect an O’Rourke throw-in inside the visitor’s penalty area, only to be seemingly cynically tripped by captain Cian Bolger. Lecky was incensed as referee Steven Gregg waved play-on despite having a near-perfect view of the incident. Then on 45 minutes, as is so often the case, the game was flipped on its head as the Inver side broke the deadlock against the run of play. Levi Ives played a quick free-kick across the edge of the area to Thomson, and the midfielder offloaded a low drive that fired into the bottom-right hand corner of Jonny Tuffey’s goal, giving the goalkeeper no chance.
Baxter’s side started the second period brightly and in the 62nd minute, veteran Paul Heatley thought he had scored from an acute angle. Substitute BJ Burns with a long, searching ball over the away defence and Heatly sped in behind. After controlling the ball superbly, he fired towards goal from wide left, but Ferguson, in goal, managed to get a hand on the ball to send it onto the post and out for a corner. Tiernan Lynch’s side created few chances but did force a superb save from Tuffey on 75 minutes. Craig Farquhar beat his opposite number to the ball and made space before fizzing an effort towards goal, but Tuffey did well to deny him. Seven minutes later though and the clinical nature of Larne’s attack to break Crusaders hearts. After looking so comfortable on the ball, Baxter’s side faltered. Ives with a threatening break down the left, and after looking up, the full-back pulled the ball back to the penalty spot where Millar was waiting unmarked, to fire high into the net to end the home side’s resistance. Ben Kennedy and new signing Stewart Nixon were introduced late on but could make no difference to the scoreline.
Crusaders: Tuffey, Weir, Lowry, Lecky, Forsythe, O'Rourke, Heatley, Larmour, Robinson, Clarke, Anderson.
Subs: Kerr, Burns, Kennedy, Winchester, Nixon, Boyd, James.
Larne: Ferguson, Donnelly, Farquhar, Thomson, Bonis, Ives, Bolger, Millar, Cosgrove, Ryan, Orozco.
Subs: McAdams, Randall, O'Neill, Lloyd, Glynn, Graham, Sloan.