A very different experience from last week for Glens supporters as this game against the reigning Sports Direct Premiership Champions was effectively over as a contest from the 39th minute when Larne opened the scoring.
With Paddy McClean still injured, Warren Feeney started with the same 11 that defeated Newry last week. From the outset Larne showed areal urgency and combativeness on and off the ball with Lee Bonis hitting the bar on 9 minutes and Seanan Clucas blocking a shot from Larne’s Mexican midfielder Jaziel Orozco 2 minutes later.
The Glens’ first and best effort to open the scoring came on 26 minutes when last week’s hat trick hero Daire O’Connor got the ball wide right, cut in to beat 2 Larne defenders and hit a great, on target shot that Larne keeper Rohan Ferguson did very well to save.
However it was really all Larne from that point until Lee Bonis, who had headed wide 5 minutes before, did the inevitable and gave the home side the lead on 38 minutes. The goal was the result of Levi Ives winning a robust 50:50 challenge deep in his own half before hitting a long ball forward to the feet of the onrushing Bonis. The ex-Portadown man comfortably finished his one on one with the keeper.
Half Time: Larne 1-0 Glentoran
The Glens had a worrying start to the half when skipper Marcus Kane crashed into the wall behind the Glens’ goal. Fortunately for the skipper there was no repetition of Bobby Burns’ bad injury from October and Moko was able to resume his place in central defence.
The Glens came into the game for the first spell of the half with Junior having a decent run well defended, though this was countered By Larne with Andy Ryan blasting over from close range. Ryan was much more accurate with his next effort when from a free kick just outside the Glens’ box he hit an unstoppable drive that gave Aaron McCarey no chance and killed off any danger of a Glentoran comeback.
Larne’s third was a virtual carbon copy of the first as Levi Ives – who had dominated the midfield all night – again won a midfield challenge to set Bonis away to finish in an equally confident manner as with his opener.
So our heaviest defeat of the season and a deserved one that clearly demonstrated the current gulf between ourselves and the league leaders who have beaten us 4 times this season with at least one more meeting to go. With the Clearer Water Irish Cup quarter final ahead of us next Saturday there will need to be a major improvement to get us into the draw for the semi-final.
Full Time: Larne 3-0 Glentoran
Glentoran: McCarey, Wilson, Russell (Lindsay 68), McCullough, Kane(c), Sule, Burns Clucas (Singleton 77), O’Connor (McCartan 77), Junior (Feeney 77) & Fisher (Wightman 86)
Subs (Not used): Webber, Kelly
Photography by PACEMAKER
