Larne travel to Solitude on Friday night for a Premiership clash with Cliftonville. The match kicks off at 19:45 as both sides look to improve their form heading into the winter schedule. Larne currently sit third in the Premiership, having taken 23 points from their 11 games with a record of seven wins, two draws and two losses.
Larne sit third in the standings with 23 points from 11 games, though they are 11 points adrift of leaders Coleraine. Their recent form has been mixed, with two wins, a draw and two losses in their last five outings, a sequence of results that reads as a draw, a win, a loss, a loss, and a win. They come into this game on the back of a 1-1 home draw with Limavady United last Tuesday, where Donnelly scored a late equaliser, assisted by C. McKendry. Before that, they secured a 2-1 away victory at Bangor, with goals from O'Neill and Doherty overturning an early deficit.
Recent head-to-head
The last meeting between these sides saw Larne secure a 2-0 home win back in September. That result will give Tiernan Lynch's squad confidence as they prepare for the short trip to north Belfast.
Cliftonville's form has been more concerning, having lost their last three league matches to Portadown, Coleraine and Ballymena United. They will be desperate to stop the rot in front of their own fans. Their last starting lineup featured players like Morrison and Hale, who will be key if they are to trouble a Larne defence that has conceded only 10 goals all season, part of a goal difference of plus 11 from 21 goals scored.
Larne's squad for the last game included the likes of Doherty and O'Neill, who scored in the win at Bangor. The team's next assignment is a home game against Portadown this coming Wednesday, a side they beat 2-0 in September and who currently sit 11th in the table. Fans can view the full fixtures list for the weeks ahead.
With both teams needing points for different reasons, Friday's encounter promises to be a tightly contested affair under the Solitude lights. Larne's recent results also include a 3-0 away win at Crusaders FC on 10 October, but also defeats to Linfield and Coleraine FC in mid-October.
