LARNE produced a superb display to record a 3-1 victory over Linfield at Inver Park.
The Invermen were full value for their win, which saw them have to recover from Jordan Stewart’s second minute goal.
Two goals from Davy McDaid turned the game around in the first half and the win was sealed by Harry Flowers’ header with 19 minutes left.
It was Linfield who started the brighter of the two sides however, and good work from Kirk Millar on the right flank after two minutes saw him swing a dangerous cross into the box, with Jordan Stewart getting across his man to poke in at the near post.
However the home side composed themselves to level within a minute.
Mark Randall picked up the ball on the edge of the Linfield box and floated it across the face of goal. The alert Davy McDaid got the faintest of touches to take it past goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson.
The blistering start to the opening period of the game continued and it was the home side who took the lead on 17 minutes, with the same two players involved.
It was the same combination as before, with Mark Randall picking up Fuad Sule’s quickly-taken free-kick. He slipped a lovely through ball to McDaid just inside the box on the right hand side, and the striker took a touch before lashing it into the roof of the net.
Larne should have extended their lead three minutes before the break, after great work from Davy McDaid on the left.
He outmuscled Josh Robinson and cut in to cross for Randall, but his effort from eight yards struck the bar and sailed over to safety.
After the break they had half chances through Jeff Hughes and Tomas Cosgrove, both heading over from corners.
It was no surprise then that it was a headed goal which added to Larne’s lead on 71 minutes. Marty Donnelly’s free-kick on the left flank, just outside the box, was met by the head of central defender Harry Flowers, who made no mistake.
It completed a memorable few days at Inver Park, with back-to-back victories of Glentoran and Linfield.
Larne: Devlin, Flowers, Watson, Sule, Randall (76 mins, Tilney), McDaid, Donnelly, Lynch, Cosgrove, Hughes, Jarvis
Unused subs: Mitchell, Kelly, Ramsey, Andrade, Gilmour, Herron
Linfield: Ferguson, Robinson, Callacher, Cooper (68 mins, Currie) Stewart, Millar, Lavery, Clarke, Fallon, Hery (60 mins, McClean), Boyle (60 mins, Quinn)
Unused subs: Moore, Stafford, Shevlin, Kearns, Quinn
Referee: Keith Kennedy
