Today's match at the Bet McLean Oval was a story of two penalties, questionable refereeing decisions, poor attacking play and aggressive flashpoints ultimately leading to the away side taking three undeserved points.
A minute’s silence was observed before kick-off to mark Armistice Day in the final home game before 11 November. We will remember them – always.
Declan Devine made one change from last week’s defeat at Coleraine – the recovered James Singleton returning in place of injured skipper Marcus Kane with Paddy McClean moving to his more familiar berth in the centre. Otherwise we were unchanged with Aaron Wightman making a return to the bench after long term injury.
The Glens set a fantastic initial tempo, most notably forcing a succession of four corners in a row within the first five minutes of the game. Paddy McClean rose highest in the last of these to force an excellent save from Rohan Ferguson. An aggressive press continually saw the home side dictate the early momentum, much to the approval of the home crowd.
As the game rolled out few would have anticipated a Larne opener, but that’s what happened in cruel circumstances after twenty minutes. In a move totally against the run of play, a defensive mistake from Paddy McClean pre-empted a quick passing move from the away side to move into the box. A rash challenge from Fuad Sule prompted the referee to blow for a penalty – gifting Larne a chance to take the lead. BBC footage strongly suggests the foul took place just outside the box, the first but not the last contentious refereeing decision to heavily influence the game. A clinical finish from Andy Ryan silenced The Oval as home fans looked on in disbelief.
New life was breathed into the Glens attacking assault almost immediately, with Danny Amos shooting just over the bar from the edge of the box. A further string of home corners further encouraged the home supporters to raise the noise. It seemed inevitable the Glens would force an equaliser before the break.
The chance of the half – and the match – came and went for the home side in the 33rd minute. In uncanny similarity to the first goal, a defensive mistake from the Larne backline sent Jay Donnelly through one-on-one before being hauled down for a penalty kick. Finlay Thorndike stepped up but immediately skied the kick for our third successive penalty miss. Its one thing not being able to convert chances in open play but missing three successive penalties in such favourable circumstances is beyond all reasonable belief.
The penalty raised another refereeing issue in why Larne keeper Ferguson escaped any punishment whereas Fuad Sule had been booked for a similar offence for the Larne penalty. The other first half question was why Larne’s Sean Graham remained on the pitch after three identical, clearly bookable offences against Glens players. Graham escaped with a booking for the middle offence.
The Glens trundled up the tunnel pondering a single question: how are we behind? The home support clearly agreed as they gave the team a strong ovation leaving the field. The same couldn’t be said for the referee.
Half time: Glentoran 0-1 Larne
The Glens failed to live up to the attacking juggernaut laid down in the first half, with Larne clearly regrouping during the interval to become more resilient after the break. Indeed, Andy Ryan attempted to snatch some momentum for Larne with a shot just after the restart testing Daniel Gyollai.
The Glens continued to dominate possession but rarely produced meaningful opportunities, with Larne intent to soak up the pressure to protect their lead. Declan Devine forced the issue with Jordan Jenkins introduced for Finlay Thorndike just after the hour. JJ almost immediately influenced proceedings; good movement from our number thirty ensuring time for Palmer to send a ball of intent into Fisher. From the resultant corner Paddy McClean headed with conviction but straight at Ferguson. Larne ended the game as a contest after 66 minutes. Miscommunication across the home back line from a corner created an opportunity for Cian Bolger to slot the ball home from inside the six-yard box.
With fourteen minutes left, refereeing again became the dominant subject. James Singleton went to ground in a rash tackle on Dylan Sloan and was deservedly booked. But immediately former Glens youth player Sloan lunged at Singleton. Inexplicably the referee didn’t just red card Sloan but also Singleton who appeared to have done nothing other than protect himself.
The Glens introduced Wass for the final nine minutes in place of Jay Donnelly, but unfortunately no one in red, green, and black could make a dent on the scoreline.
This third game without a win will disappoint not only the fans and coaching staff, but also players such as Sule, Palmer Hvid, Amos, Singleton, Gyollai and Connolly who all worked tirelessly throughout, only to see their efforts undone by lack of goals. That has been the issue in the last three matches.
Full time: Glentoran 0-2 Larne
Glentoran: Gyollai, Singleton, Amos, Hvid, McClean, Sule (c), Thorndike (Jenkins 60), Connolly, Fisher and Donnelly (Wassim 81)
Subs (Not used): Mills, Lyons-Foster, Wightman, Lindsay, Douglas
Photographs by PACEMAKER