Larne Secures Convincing 3-0 Win Against Dungannon Swifts
Irish Premiership
Larne 3 – 0 Dungannon Swifts FT
Larne marked a return to form with a commanding 3-0 victory over Dungannon Swifts at Inver Park.
First-half goals from Leroy Millar and Kevin O’Hara set the stage for the Invermen, with Matt Ridley adding a third goal after the interval.
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This win alleviates some of the pressure on manager Gary Haveron following last week’s disappointing 4-2 loss to Cliftonville. Meanwhile, Dungannon faces challenges ahead, having secured only one win in their last ten league matches.
Dominant Larne Secure Crucial Three Points
The match began energetically for Larne, with Millar nearly scoring just two minutes in as his left-footed shot from 20 yards narrowly missed the target. Larne continued to threaten, and in the 23rd minute, Millar assisted O’Hara, whose clever back-heel attempt was saved by Dungannon’s Declan Dunne.
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The breakthrough came in the 29th minute when Millar, after a quick one-two with Sean Graham, curled a low right-footed shot into the bottom right corner. Just four minutes later, Larne doubled their lead. O’Hara intercepted a poor back pass from Dungannon’s Jamie Glackin and unleashed a right-footed effort from 20 yards that found the left corner of the net, leaving Dunne with no chance.
Dungannon started the second half strong, nearly scoring within the first 90 seconds as Andrew Mitchell’s close-range shot was denied by Larne’s Rohan Ferguson. However, on the 58-minute mark, Dungannon’s missed opportunity cost them dearly. After a corner from Graham, Ridley headed powerfully past Dunne, extending Larne’s advantage.
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What the Managers Said
Larne manager Gary Haveron: “I felt we were dominant in the first hour. I thought we took our goals well, our shape was good, and we caught them out. I’m really pleased to see Matt Ridley score; he contributes a lot defensively and has just been unlucky not to score more.”
Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree: “The reigning champions are always going to be tough to play against, especially away from home. However, we need to deliver a better performance defensively. We gave Larne three goals: the first was due to a poor header, the second stemmed from a bad pass, and the third arose from playing ourselves into trouble. Overall, I’m frustrated.”
