Larne and Glens win as league title race hots up

The battle for the Irish Premiership title still hangs in the balance after leaders Larne beat Linfield 2-0 at Windsor Park and second-placed Glentoran trounced Dungannon Swifts 5-0 at the Oval on Saturday.

Matty Lusty rounded David Walsh to score early in the first half and Matthew Ridley headed in the second in the second half to secure victory for Larne in the day's early kick-off and temporarily move the Invermen six points ahead at the top of the table.

The Glens responded in style however as their thumping victory over Rodney McAree's Irish Cup finalists moved them back to within three and level on goal difference with the pacesetters.

The top two will meet at the Oval on Friday 17 April, a game which will be broadcast live on BBC iPlayer.

In the other match in the top half of the table, Joel Cooper scored a hat-trick and Matthew Shevlin was on target twice as Coleraine came from two goals down to see off Cliftonville 6-2 at Ballycastle Road. They lie two points behind the Glens in third.

In the bottom half, Crusaders stole a march on Glenavon in the battle to avoid automatic relegation as they moved two points clear of bottom spot by beating Portadown 4-0 at Seaview, Fraser Bryden netting twice.

It was a first win in the top flight for Declan Caddell's side since 3 January.

The Lurgan Blues were held to a 0-0 draw by Bangor at Clandeboye and now sit bottom of the standings ahead of their crucial meeting with the Crues next Saturday.

Two late goals from Igor Rutkowski, one of them a penalty, helped Ballymena United to a 3-2 comeback victory over Carrick Rangers at Taylors Avenue.

Larne opened the scoring with the first real chance of the game as Andy Ryan slipped in Lusty.

There were some claims for offside but Lusty didn't stop to ask questions and he rounded David Walsh and finished with aplomb into the empty net.

That goal came on seven minutes and the next chance materialised after 20 when Tomas Cosgrove picked out Andy Ryan only for him to blaze over.

Sean Graham then spurned a similar chance before Linfield had their best chance of the half. That came via a link-up between two teenage debutant as Finlay Ross showed good skill to get down the right and find Oliver Wade on the edge of the box. His effort had Rohan Ferguson scrambling but rippled the roof of the net.

Paul O'Neill was introduced at half-time by Haveron and he had a slue of chances, most notably when he spooned over the bar from six yards from Ryan's cutback. He then stung the palms of Walsh before a last-ditch Dane McCullough challenge diverted his shot over the bar.

Despite this, Linfield were struggling to create anything of note at the other end and, with a quarter of an hour remaining, central defender Ridley rose highest to head home another terrific Cosgrove delivery.

That goal sealed the three points despite a late scare when Aaron Donnelly headed against his own post.

At the Oval, the visitors almost went in front on 16 minutes as Paul Boyle's through ball cut open the Glentoran defence for Tiernan Kelly to burst onto from midfield but his effort was saved by the legs of keeper Andrew Mills.

Instead it was Glentoran who took the lead on 19 minutes when Aaron McEneff's shot from outside the penalty area was pushed out by Swifts keeper Alex Henderson but only as far as Jordan Stewart who had the simplest of tasks of tapping the ball home.

Glentoran hit the Swifts with a two-goal salvo in as many minutes just after the half-hour, firstly when Aaron McEneff scored a penalty after he had been brought down by Henderson.

Within a couple of minutes it was 3-0 as Josh Daniels fired home from Ryan Cooney's cross despite Henderson getting a hand to the ball.

Glentoran added to their tally eight minutes into the second period when McEneff curled over a cross from the right which was stylishly swept home on the volley by Daniel Larmour.

The Glens added a fifth in the closing minutes as Ben Gallagher played in fellow sub Jordan Jenkins who beat Henderson with a low shot from a tight angle.

The visitors opened the scoring through top scorer Joe Gormley inside the opening 10 minutes at the Showgrounds.

Coleraine goalkeeper Ryan Schofield's stray pass was picked off by Ryan Curran who strode forward before squaring for strike partner Gormley, who had the simple task of tapping home from six yards out.

Just over 10 minutes later it was 2-0 to Cliftonville, again the goal coming from some poor Coleraine play, Okoro was robbed of possession, allowing Gormley to play in Liam McStravick for his first goal for the north Belfast club.

Stung into action, Coleraine pulled a goal back three minutes later through Shevlin, capitalising on a poor back pass from Luke Conlan to round goalkeeper PJ Morrison before tapping into an empty net.

And it was all level just after the half hour when Coleraine's top scorer Cooper got on the end of an inviting Will Patching free-kick to beat Morrison from six yards out.

Cooper scored his second of the game minutes later, racing on to an incisive Dylan Boyle pass to bury a low left foot shot under the body of the onrushing Reds' keeper.

There was still time at the end of the first half for Shevlin to score his second of the afternoon, in the right place at the right time to head home at the far post following a cleverly worked corner routine involving Patching and Cameron Stewart.

The scoring continued minutes after the restart as Joel Cooper completed his hat-trick – his third since joining the club last summer – to make it 5-2.

Again, Patching was the provider, supplying an inch perfect pass for his midfield colleague to race clear of his marker before picking his spot, curling his shot into the far corner of the goal.

It was six of the best just after the hour and a special moment for local teenager Senan Devine, scoring his first senior goal for the club with a calm finish, just moments after replacing Ben Wylie in midfield, to complete a memorable afternoon for the Irish Cup finalists.

Crusaders spurned a great opportunity to settle the nerves on seven minutes as Josh Ukek's wayward back pass sent Adam Brooks in on the Portadown goal, but the striker looked to have too much time on his hands as he curled his shot wide of the target.

The hosts finally made their pressure count on 16 minutes as Brooks raced away down the right-hand side before squaring for Keiran McKechnie to slot into an empty net from close range.

Nine minutes later the Crues doubled their advantage when top scorer Bryden found the net with a looping header after good work by Lewis Barr to keep the chance alive.

Crusaders made it 3-0 before the half hour mark when Elliot Dunlop was in the right place at the right time to nod home from close range as Alex Moore could only block Brooks' initial effort.

The Ports shuffled their pack but even the introduction of four new faces before the hour mark failed to inject some badly needed impetus into the visitors.

It was the Crues who found the net again on 73 minutes when Bryden slotted home Finley Thorndike's corner at the near post to take him to 22 goals for the season.

On a rare break forward Portadown were denied a late consolation as Musa Dibaga reacted well to push away Ben Wells' cross which was deflected towards goal off Barr to maintain Crusaders' clean sheet.

With five minutes on the clock, Glenavon recorded the first effort on goal as Paddy Burns lofted an inviting ball toward the edge of the area for Paul McGovern, but the striker's attempted volley proved a comfortable save for Gareth Deane.

That set the tone for a lively spell, with the visitors coming close again seven minutes later when Campbell picked out Nathaniel Ferris in the area, and Deane had to be at full stretch to turn the Glentoran loanee's effort around the post.

The Lurgan Blues maintained that early pressure as Campbell continued to cause problems out wide with another teasing cross that looked certain to be converted from 12 yards by the in-form Conor Falls, but the frontman failed to connect at the vital moment.

After the restart, the hosts raced out of the traps and looked to edge themselves in front when Michael Morgan sent Tiarnan Mulvenna through on goal, but under heavy pressure from Barney McKeown, Mulvenna's attempted chip drifted over Deane and the crossbar.

The Seasiders kept pushing for an opener from there, with Ben Cushnie afforded time and space 20 yards from goal, but his low effort from the edge of the area lacked the power to trouble Jacob Carney.

In the closing stages, Michael O'Connor's side looked to have found a winner when Paddy Burns met a corner with a thumping header that seemed destined to hit the back of the net, only for substitute Jay Boyd to clear it off the line.

The game at Taylors Avenue burst into life with just 90 seconds on the clock when the visitors hit the front.

Kian Corbally made a tricky run down the right before crossing low to the middle, where Success Edogun had an effort from six yards that was superbly saved by Nathan Gartside, but the big striker buried the rebound high into the net for his ninth goal of the season.

But just four minutes later Carrick hit straight back. Billy Joe Burns swung in a cross from the right and Danny Gibson was on hand – as ever - to volley home from eight yards.

The hosts faced a huge setback on 14 minutes when Ben Buchanan-Rolleston was shown a straight red card for a reckless two-footed lunge on Carrick's James Hood.

With 36 minutes on the clock, Carrick appealed for handball and a penalty when Burns drilled an effort from the edge of the area into Sule, but referee Evan Boyce waved play on.

Right on the half-time whistle it was United who went close. This time a cross in from the right was met by Edogun, but his right-footed effort trickled just wide of the right-hand post.

Nine minutes after the break Ballymena could have gone in front but for a great save from Gartside. Aaron Jarvis attacked the 18-yard box before playing in Rutkowski to his right. The striker fired in a low effort to the near post but Gartside pushed it away for a corner.

Despite United enjoying the majority of possession, it was Rangers who grabbed the next goal on 72 minutes. Defender Stephen O'Donnell made a mess of a header back to his goalkeeper and in sneaked Gibson to guide home a volley into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

However, United weren't done and two minutes before time Sule crossed from the right that was handled inside the box by Aidan Steele. Up stepped Rutkowski who smashed home down the centre of the goal.

Just as fans thought spoils would be shared, three minutes into stoppage time, Rutkowski grabbed the winner with a low shot from 12 yards that found its way into the net.