LARNE FC: McAlinden’s men put seven past Loughgall

Larne’s winning run continued with a 7-3 win over Loughgall.

Apart from a 10-minute spell late in the game, the Reds totally bossed proceedings with their free-flowing football and also missed a penalty along the way.

After a fairly uneventful opening period Larne went ahead on 35 minutes. A superb ball from Darren Stuart picked out Guillame Keke who showed great composure to lift the ball over Gareth Buchanan and into the net.

Two minutes later the advantage was doubled. A corner from Gerald Gillan was headed goalward by Stuart McMullan, the keeper got a hand to it but James McCabe nipped in to score.

McCabe then turned provider for Keke to add the third.

Loughgall were gifted a goal a minute before the break when Ricky Copeland was allowed too much time and space to head past Paddy Flood.

Larne responded in style with two more goals in five minutes at the start of the second half. Tommie Robinson saw his shot blocked into the path of Stuart who made no mistake. He then doubled his tally converting a Robinson cross.

With 12 minutes left Loughgall were reduced to 10 men when Copeland was red-cared for a heavy challenge on Keke. Larne then went to sleep and allowed the home side to get back into a game which they were well out of.

Warner Mullen waltzed through a static Larne rearguard to hammer the ball past Flood. As two Larne players went for the same ball it broke to Daniel Ryan who added the home sides third. The away supporters’ nerves were settled however when Scott Irvine added Larne’s sixth with a superb strike in injury time.

A brilliant team performance was topped off by the seventh a minute later. Michael Smith picked up a loose pass and danced past challenge after challenge before calmly lifting the ball over the keeper into the empty net.

LOUGHGALL: Buchanan, Henderson Taylor, Copeland, Hudson, Walsh, Tavares, McMahon, Mullen, Ryan, Rea. Subs: Dale, Morrow, Greenaway.

LARNE: Flood, Bradley, Smith, McClean, McMullan (Rodgers 46) McGrandless, Stuart (McGonnell 76), Gillan, McCabe, Keke (Irvine 82), Robinson. Unused subs: Todd, Donnelly.

Referee: J. Robinson (Portadown)