Larne send out message against top-flight Ards
LARNE showed their class to knock Ards out of the County Antrim Shield at Inver Park.
It might have been Championship versus Premiership, but you wouldn’t have known it on this evidence.
Goals from Ben Tilney, Davy McDaid and Marty Donnelly had Tiernan Lynch’s men coasting after 56 minutes and, despite Kym Nelson pulling one back, Ards were dumped out.
On 20 minutes, Michael Dougherty saved the home side, reacting smartly to punch away Callum Byers’ header.
Referee Tony Clarke then waved away penalty appeals when Donnelly went down in the box.
The deadlock was broken on 27 minutes. Tilney picked the ball up just inside the Ards half as the home side broke. With options either side, he didn’t need any of them as he rifled a shot into the top corner.
The lead was doubled nine minutes later when Jeff Hughes fed the ball on the left to Donnelly and the winger delivered it into the onrushing McDaid to slam home a volley.
The Invermen started the second half where they left off in the first and Donnelly struck the top of the crossbar with a free-kick 20 yards out on 47 minutes.
The game was as good as sealed on 56 minutes when Donnelly got on the scoresheet.
He ran at the defence before turning inside and producing a curling effort from 20 yards out.
A mistake from Graham Kelly on 62 minutes allowed the visitors a consolation as his short back-pass was picked up by Nelson, who slammed home.
LARNE: Dougherty, Sule, Ramsey (McEleney, 84 mins), Kelly, McDaid, Donnelly (Hassin, 71 mins), Stuart (Scullion, 64 mins), Tilney, McNally, Cosgrove, Hughes.
Unused subs: Devlin, Osei-Bonsu. ARDS: Johnston, Kerr, Byers, Taylor (McAleenan, 39 mins), M Kelly, McAllister (Strain, 65 mins), J Kelly, Mitchell, Tommons (Frazer, 48 mins), McClean, Nelson.
Unused subs: Cherry, McLellan. Referee: Tony Clarke