False start at Inver

Larne 2-0 Cliftonville

Cliftonville paid the price for a tepid opening 45 minutes that saw Larne bag the goals that booked victory in tonight’s Boyle Sports Premiership encounter at Inver Park.

The Reds were much improved after the interval and arguably should have had a penalty when Joe Gormley was wrestled to the floor inside the box but it ultimately proved a frustrating evening for the visitors.

Having sent a seventh minute effort wide, Matthew Lusty broke the deadlock with a fierce blast on 13 minutes, with Liam McStravick going close to an equaliser just before the half-hour mark.

Paul O’Neill should have doubled Larne’s advantage when he found himself one-on-one with PJ Morrison but lifted his chipped effort onto the roof of the net before Lusty was off target with an acrobatic attempt.

The second goal arrived on 38 minutes when Lusty showed neat feet and composure to weave his way into the area and slot into the bottom corner.

A change of shape and the application of greater intensity almost yielded immediate reward at the start of the second-half only for McStravick to see a strike charged down by Matt Ridley, who saw a header repelled by Morrison soon later.

The Cliftonville keeper then twice made excellent stops to thwart Lusty – the second coming when the striker looked set for a comfortable finish into an empty net – before Cliftonville, who had seen an Alex Bannon cross clip the bar, saw strong penalty appeals waved away when referee Mark Dillon was unmoved by seeing Gormley dragged to the ground by Ridley.

Cliftonville: Morrison, Healy (Campbell, 66 mins,), Leppard, Conlan (Samuels, 82 mins), McClelland, McMaster, Thompson (Gormley, 66 mins), Quinn (Wightman, 46 mins), Bannon, McStravick, Sheridan (Hale, 66 mins). Unused subs: Cremen-Cowan, O’Connor.