DUNDELA caused the shock of Bet McLean League Cup Round 3 with a deserved 3-1 win at Inver Park.
Larne made five changes from Friday’s impressive 6-0 win over Glenavon, with full debuts handed to former Ipswich youngster Conor McKendry, and former Cliftonville striker Cillin Gilmour.
However, the home side struggled to find a rhythm against their Championship opponents.
The game was shocked into life after just seven minutes when Owain Beggs turned neatly inside the box and fired low across Conor Mitchell into the corner of the net.
The Invermen could have been level on 17 minutes, when good work from Gilmour on the right ended with him curing an inviting cross into the box, only for Ben Tilney to head over from six yards.
It took until the stroke of half-time for Larne to threaten again, with midfielder Fuad Sule cutting across the width of the penalty area, before testing Jonathan Sergeant from 20 yards, with the goalkeeper palming his effort away for a corner.
Davy McDaid and Marty Donnelly were introduced seven minutes into the second half in a double substitution.
Donnelly almost equalised on 67 minutes, when he’s lobbed effort was headed off the line by Chris Morrison, after Sergeant had rushed out to clear the danger from Ben Tilney.
However, it was the visitors who doubled their lead five minutes later, in a goal Conor Mitchell will want to forget.
The former Burnley stopper, played the ball straight to Duns’ winger Ross Holden when trying to clear and the former Crues youngster kept his composure to lob him from 20 yards.
There was an instant reply from the home side, when they reduced the arrears with 14 minutes to play.
Conor McKendry’s teasing cross from the left was headed home at the back post by Albert Watson.
Any thoughts of a comeback were short lived however, as Bryan McCarroll’s side restored their two goal lead on 81 minutes.
Holden caused more danger on the left and his cross wasn’t properly cleared, with Beggs sweeping home from 12 yards, to wrap up the victory.
Larne: Mitchell, Kelly, Ramsey, McEleney (Watson ’29), Sule, Tilney, McKendry, Andrade (Donnelly ’52), Cosgrove, Hughes, Gilmour (McDaid ’52)
Unused subs: Devlin, Flowers, Harrison, Kerr.
Dundela: Sergeant, Kerr, Burns (Murray), Devine, Morrison, Brown, Bingham (McMaster ’64), McCawl, Beggs (Swann), Kane, Holden
Unused subs: Blayney, McComb.
Referee: Shane Andrews
Photograph: Bill Guiller
