INVERMEN ON CLOUD NINE WITH CUP VICTORY
Larne were in ruthless goalscoring form as their kicked off their BetMcLean Cup campaign with a nine goal victory over Knockbreda.
The Invermen kicked off the scoring after just 15 minutes as Micheal Glynn combined well with Daniel Kearns down the left flank to cut in and fire the opening goal of the evening from just six yards out.
Glynn was involved again in Larne’s second goal five minutes later as he delivered a superb free-kick into the penalty area which was met by the unmarked Tomas Cosgrove.
The reigning Premiership champions rarely took their foot off the gas in the first half, and were three goals to the good within 23 minutes, as Illijah Paul scored his first goal for the club after good build-up work by Craig Farqhuar and Daniel Kearns.
A fourth goal came six minutes before the interval as Mark Randall played through Joe Thomson and he confidently smashed the ball past Ben Fry in the Knockbreda goal.
Against the run of play it was Knockbreda who pulled a goal back on 53 minutes through Guillaume Keke.
The four goal advantage was returned on 57 minutes when Joe Thomson found himself in space and his shot took a deflection which wrong-footed the goalkeeper.
Just after the hour mark, Thomson bagged his hat-trick after receiving the ball over the top of the Knockbreda defence from substitute Scott Allan and he fired a first time shot into the bottom corner for his third and Larne’s sixth of the evening.
Larne’s relentless pursuit of goals continued two minutes later as Allan’s free-kick was met by substitute Shea Gordon to make it 7-1.
On 68 minutes Corey Smith scored his first goal for the club to make it eight and substitute Lee Bonis wrapped up the scoring with three minutes to go, adding the ninth.
Larne: Dowling, Want, Farqhuar, Thomson, Kearns, Randall, Paul, Glynn, Cosgrove, Graham, Smith subs Ferguson, Donnelly, Bonis, Allan, Lloyd, Gordon, McCart
Knockbreda: Fry, McDermott, McVeigh, Murphy, Anderson, Kalla, Teggart, McDermott, Keke, Henry, Higginson subs Matthews, Lagan, Murray, Quinn, Willis, Smith, Stewart
Substitution 
Substitution 
