LECKY BAGS SECOND HALF HAT-TRICK
Adam Lecky claimed a second half hat-trick as Crusaders fired themselves back into the title race with victory over Larne at Inver Park.
A quiet start to the game, it took until the 21st minute for the first effort of note when Paul Heatley cut inside from the left before striking an upright with a curling right-foot shot.
Larne were reduced to ten men after half-an-hour when Fuad Sule was dismissed following an incident with Declan Caddell.
The Crues tried to make their numerical advantage count when Chris Hegarty had a go from distance while Philip Lowry produced a superb reflex stop from Conor Devlin.
Lecky broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half with a sweeping finish at the second attempt after Devlin had initially saved his header from Jordan Forsythe's cross.
He made it 2-0 on 69 minutes, this time firing into the bottom corner after being afforded the time and space from Paul Heatley's pass.
Ben Kennedy came close to adding a third with a strike from outside the box which grazed the top of the crossbar, but that third goal did come with around a quarter-of-an-hour remaining when Lecky met another Heatley pass to slide home at the back post.
Larne: Devlin, Kelly, Watson, Robinson, Herron, Sule, Randall, Hale, A. Mitchell, McKendry, Cosgrove subs C. Mitchell (not used), Scott (not used), Lynch (replaced Randall 75), Mottley-Henry (not used), Wade Slater (replaced Hale 67), Hughes (not used), McMurray (replaced McKendry 46)
Crusaders: Tuffey, Burns, Hegarty, Weir, Lowry, Kennedy, Caddell. Forsythe, O'Rourke, Lecky, Heatley subs O'Neill (not used), McGonigle (replaced Caddell 78), Cushley (not used), Ruddy (replaced O'Rourke 81), Owens (not used), McGinley (replaced Heatley 85), Larmour (not used)
Substitution 
Substitution 
