Kernohan's brace ensures comfortable victory over Saintfield

Saintfield United 1

GIVEN that they had played more matches than most of the other teams around them, Larne Tech, having lost five on the spin, must have realised just how easily it could have been to get sucked into a dogfight at the wrong end of the table. Gary Smyth’s side, however, should be safe now, after a second consecutive home win against a side in the bottom four, building on from their four-one victory over Rathfern Rangers by comfortably seeing off Saintfield United at Dennis Harvey Park.

Given that their only other league win on home turf had been a nervy one-nil victory over bottom Downshire Young Men back in October, it looks as though the Antivilleians have found their home form at just the right time.

Yet it wouldn’t be like the Tech if they didn’t make things difficult for themselves, and they could easily have been four up in the opening 15 minutes, with Marty Steele, Tony Liken, Darrin Crawford and Daryll Kernohan all going squandering opportunities.

Instead, it was the Saints who would have gone marching into the lead but for a dramatic goal line clearance from Rab Hunter, thereby saving the blushes of keeper Brendan Quinn, who stuck out a foot at a shot he believed was already out of play, but only directing the ball straight to a visiting forward.

Nil-nil then at the break, the frustration looked like continuing in the second session, when the Saints keeper pulled off an excellent save to defy Christopher Morton.

The Larne boys, nevertheless, finally made the breakthrough when Liken neatly controlled Hunter’s long hoof out of defence, slipping it through for Kernohan to do the rest.

Ten minutes later, it was that very same combination, with Liken again teeing the ball up nicely for his more prolific strike partner.

Saintfield, nonetheless, weren’t quite out of this one yet, and would have bounced right back but for a top drawer save from Quinn, brilliantly fingertipping a thunderous free kick onto the bar, with a United player dragging the follow up wide of the target.

The County Down side, however, did chisel on back shortly afterwards; the ball falling nicely for a visiting forward after Quinn’s punch, from a corner, had struck a Tech player in the back.

It was the Tech Terriers, nevertheless, who tied things up before the close when Kernohan, on a hat trick, unselfishly squared the ball for Darren McNeill to lash into the bottom corner of the net.

Next Saturday, the Tech will be attempting to make it three in a row, when Rosario Youth Club are the visitors to Dennis Harvey Park.

Larne Tech OB; Quinn – Magee, Adams, Hunter, Crawford (Hyslop) – Z McAllister (Brown), Morton, M Steele, McNeill – Liken, Kernohan