Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
IT’S NEW YEAR’S DAID
Davy sinks Glens in a rollercoaster five-goal thriller
LARNE won a pulsating, error-strewn game at The Oval last night as Glentoran lost ground on their title rivals.
The visitors began the brighter with Davy McDaid’s curling shot deflected wide and that led to a series of corners that the Glens struggled to defend in the swirling wind and rain.
The home side eventually emerged unscathed from that bout of pressure but a fired-up Larne stayed on the front foot and powered into the lead in the 12th minute.
Andrew Scott made the breakthrough, his dipping shot from outside the box deceiving keeper Aaron McCarey as it skidded off the greasy surface on its way into the bottom corner of the net.
Glentoran were getting nowhere fast but an awful rick by Kofi Balmer gifted them an equaliser 10 minutes later.
The young defender was guilty of dawdling on the ball in his own box and Hrvoje Plum picked his pocket before squaring for Jay Donnelly to fire past Rohan Ferguson.
Glentoran had their tails up now and Shay McCartan was starting to strut his stuff in attack but a fizzed effort from Larne’s Ben Doherty that flew inches wide was the closest either side came to scoring again before the whistle blew on an entertaining 45 minutes.
The pleasing ebb and flow continued after the break as Donnelly found the sidenetting with header from Bobby Burns’ corner before a similar set play at the other end saw Larne regain the lead in the 52nd minute.
Doherty’s ball in was headed goalwards by John Herron and, following a spot of pinball between McCarey and his defenders, the ball just about crept over the goalline.
Another defensive howler allowed the Glens back in for a second goal just past the hour mark.
McCartan tossed a hopeful ball into the area and Tomas Cosgrove, normally so assured, failed to sort his feet out as he clumsily dunted the ball past his own keeper.
But back came Larne with a moment of real class from McDaid in the 70th minute as the striker skipped past Caolan Marron’s challenge before whipping a majestic 25-yard shot over McCarey and into the net.
Having been burned twice, the visitors finally showed a bit of game management as they ran down the clock, picking up a smattering of bookings for time wasting and cynical fouls.
Yet they almost gifted Glentoran another goal right at the death when Donnelly stole in following a defensive slip only to slap a weak shot straight at Ferguson with the goal at his mercy.