RYAN DOUBLE HANDS LARNE CRUCIAL WIN
Andy Ryan hit two goals as Larne swept to a comfortable victory over Crusaders at Seaview.
The sides traded chances during the opening quarter-of-an-hour or so with Levi Ives seeing an effort stopped by a diving save from Jonny Tuffey while, at the other end, Jude Winchester's curler from outside the box was tipped over by Rohan Ferguson.
Larne did have the ball in the net soon after but Ryan's finish from a low Lee Bonis cross was ruled out offside.
The visitors threatened again when Bonis laid the ball off for Joe Thomson but his powerful finish fizzed just wide of the right post.
But the Crues also came close later in the scoreless first half after Ross Clarke's cross into the box looked to have crept into the net only for Ferguson to get enough of a touch to tap it wide of the target.
The deadlock was eventually broken just a couple of minutes into the second half when Ryan headed home from close range after Tomas Cosgrove's corner was nodded on by Leroy Millar.
Then, six minutes after that, Bonis made it 2-0 after rising highest to direct Millar's cross from the left past Crues keeper Tuffey.
Paul Heatley then found the net for the Crues but he was adjudged to have strayed offside.
However, Larne hit their third of the evening on 67 minutes courtesy of a Ryan spot-kick sending Tuffey the wrong way, awarded after Cosgrove had been upended by Jarlath O'Rourke.
And it got even worse for Crusaders not long after that after Billy Joe Burns was dismissed for a challenge on Jaziel Orozco for what was his second caution of the night.
Crusaders: Tuffey, Burns, Weir, Lecky, Forsythe, O'Rourke, Winchester, Larmour, Heatley, Clarke, Anderson subs Williamson, Teelan, Kennedy, Owens, Smith, McKenna, James
Larne: Ferguson, Donnelly, Farquhar, Thomson, Bonis, Ives, Bolger, Millar, Cosgrove, Ryan, Orozco subs Dowling, Kearns, O'Neill, Lloyd, Gordon, Paul, Glynn
Substitution 
Substitution 
