Larne boss refuses to get carried away

The Inver boss has watched his team climb up to fourth spot in Championship 1 and while he’s optimistic heading into this weekend’s clash with bogey side Harland and Wolff Welders, he’s also wary of the threat posed by the Tillysburn outfit.

“I heard all about the woes Larne have experienced over the years at the hands of the Welders, but we are playing with great confidence and will go there in a positive frame of mind,” he said.

McAlinden maintains his team are not title contenders but is heartened with the way things have gone after a worrying spell.

“Having won our opening match, there’s no doubt it was hard to stomach losing three in a row, so to stitch together a four-match winning run in response is really great and the way we are playing is very entertaining and enjoyable as well.

“But thoughts of winning the title are not being entertained; ask me about that sort of thing in March and I’ll be better placed to discuss our league position.

“We are just going out each week trying to produce our best performance and at present we seem to be improving game by game.

“We haven’t beaten any of the teams above us in the table, losing to both Carrick Rangers and Bangor and we are due to meet Ards in a couple of weeks. That said, we are definitely a better team than when we lost to those two.”