LARNE CLOSE GAP ON SECOND SPOT
Larne closed the gap on second place with a derby defeat of Carrick Rangers at the Loughshore Hotel Arena.
The visitors started brightly, creating an early opening through Martin Donnelly's effort over from inside of the area after combining with Davy McDaid.
They moved in front on 11 minutes. Mark Randall went down in the area under a challenge from Kyle Cherry and Caolan Loughran, and from the subsequent spot-kick Andy Mitchell stepped up to fire down the middle.
Carrick levelled a few minutes later, however, with the second penalty of the game. Albert Watson was adjudged to have fouled Lloyd Anderson with Loughran duly converting into the bottom left corner.
But Larne regained the advantage just after the half-hour mark after good work down the left from Graham Kelly allowed him to cross for John Herron to head past Aaron Hogg from six yards.
The sides traded chances after the break. Jordan Gibson was unable to direct a Kyle Cherry delivery towards the target while Albert Watson did something similar at the other end from Donnelly's corner.
Then Cherry sent a header straight at Conor Devlin after being played through by Anderson, with Lee Lynch and Conor McKendry later being unable to beat Hogg.
However, McKendry did find the net in stoppage time to make sure of the points for Larne with a composed finish from the edge of the box.
Carrick Rangers: Hogg, Loughran, Chapman, Kelly, Smith, Gordon, Cherry, Gibson, Anderson, Ramsey, Friel subs McKinty (not used), Forsythe (not used), Neale (not used), Rodgers (not used), Glendinning (not used), Jenkins (replaced Friel 76), Storey (replaced Cherry 88)
Larne: Devlin, Kelly, Watson, Robinson, Herron, Randall, McDaid, Donnelly, A. Mitchell, Cosgrove, Hughes subs C. Mitchell (not used), Hale (replaced Randall 70), Lynch (replaced McDaid 70), McKendry (replaced Donnelly 75), Mottley-Henry (not used), Wade Slater (not used), McMurray (not used)
Substitution 
Substitution 
