Gary Haveron highlighted his squad's resilience after Larne secured a 2-0 victory at Portadown to maintain their unbeaten start to the Premiership season. The win, achieved despite playing over 70 minutes with ten men, lifts Larne to third in the table with 13 points from five games.
Tomas Cosgrove gave the visitors a perfect start, scoring in the eighth minute. The match turned just eight minutes later when Kevin O'Hara was sent off for a high challenge, a decision Haveron later described as harsh. Larne had to adapt immediately.
"I’m really proud of how we reacted to the sending off, it’s harsh," said Haveron, the Larne manager. He explained the team became more pragmatic, changing shape to handle central pressure on a dry and sticky pitch at Shamrock Park.
Sean Graham sealed the three points with a second-half goal, a move involving substitute Matty Lusty. The victory ended a run of three consecutive defeats at Portadown's ground. It was Larne's fourth win in a hectic seven-day period, a schedule that forced Haveron into four changes from the side that beat Bangor.
"You can’t try and flog the life out of the same players...we have three games in seven days," Haveron stated, underlining his trust in the entire squad. He praised the impact of players coming off the bench, a necessity given the fixture congestion caused by earlier postponements.
The result extends Larne's winning run to four games in all competitions, with their recent form reading four wins and one loss from the last five. They have scored seven goals and conceded just one in the league this season, building a goal difference of plus six.
Attention now turns to a quick turnaround and another away trip. Larne face Carrick Rangers on Saturday, September 19th. Carrick sit seventh in the table, and the full schedule is available on our fixtures page. Haveron's belief in his squad depth will likely be tested again as the team looks to extend its positive momentum.
The original report is at newsletter.co.uk
