Reds’ unbeaten run comes to an end

In truth, the game was over after tr visitors had gone three up after 43 minutes.

To add to their woes, Larne also had defender Darren McNamee sent off, and Graham McConnell was also sent to the stand.

Assistant-manager, Jo-Jo Magill, made no excuses after the game. “The boys were not up for it and the scoreline was a fair reflection on the game because we were very poor,” he said.

“The early goal knocked the stuffing out of us and from there it went from bad to worse. We then lost Darren McNamee, who could have avoided the second yellow. We lost Chris Keenan and hopefully it is not too serious but we will have to re-group for the Irish Cup.

“What was disappointing was that we looked like the team who were short of confidence rather than Limavady. It is certainly up there with the worst performances I have seen since I came to the club.”

United were in front just four minutes in. The Larne defence went missing as Cathal Friel crossed for Trevor Parkhill to head home.

They doubled their lead eight minutes later as the unchallenged Lee Patrick confidently chipped the ball over Keenan into the net.

Gary Workman then rattled the crossbar for Larne, before Friel set up Ruari McClean to glance a header past Keenan just before the break. Three minutes after the interval McNamee was cautioned and the defender’s backchat then earned him a second yellow.

McConnell was then sent from the dugout for his protests at the decision.

Five minutes later Keenan was stretchered off, before being taking off in an ambulance to hospital.

United added the fourth on 63 minutes when Friel was on hand to head past replacement Nathan Morley-Hillen.

The visitors also struck the bar twice in the closing stages, before the referee blew the whistle to end a miserable Larne performance.

Larne: Keenan, S.Todd, Haughey, McAllister, McNamee, McClean, Irvine, Workman, Young, Wharry, Kopyt. Subs: Moore (Todd), Beggs (Haughey), Morley-Hillen (Keenan), Donnelly.

Larne are set to host Lurgan Celtic in an Irish Cup fifth-round replay on tomorrow at 7:45pm.