Larne Defeats Cliftonville 2-1 to Rise to Second in Premiership, Closing Gap on Leaders Linfield

Early goals from Paul O'Neill and Joe Thomson secure victory for Larne despite late strike from Cliftonville's Ronan Hale; Larne now five points away from top spot with Linfield yet to play weekend match.

Larne's victory over Cliftonville was secured by first-half goals from Paul O'Neill and Joe Thomson, despite a late reply from Cliftonville's Ronan Hale.
The win has moved Larne to second place in the Premiership, five points behind leaders Linfield who have yet to play their weekend game.
Cliftonville coach, Jim Magilton, expressed frustration over his team's defense, pointing out the two 'poor goals' his team conceded contributed significantly to the defeat.
Magilton also mentioned a missed opportunity during the game's first minute by Cliftonville's Ben Wilson, who could not capitalize on a goal-scoring chance, which, according to Magilton, could have turned the tide.
On the other hand, Larne manager Tiernan Lynch was pleased with his team's performance, praising their defensive skills and stating, 'Both our goals were excellent, the work we did to get them, I thought Joe [Thomson] like Paul [O'Neill] showed great character to make sure he got something on the end of it.'