GLENAVON SCORES LATE GOAL AT LARNE TO CONTINUE UNBEATEN RUN 644t6f
Larne 1 Glenavon 1 j624f
Sports Direct Irish Premiership 6s2c36
Inver Park, Larne
Tuesday 18th February 2025
Glenavon continued its impressive start to 2025 by collecting a point against Larne at Inver Park.
David Toure (90+2 mins) scored the visitors’ late equaliser. Tiarnan O’Connor (9 mins) netted for the home side.
Paddy McLaughlin’s men dominated the second half and will be disappointed not to have won the match.
Yet it was Larne which made the brighter start. It took an early lead when Andy Ryan’s free kick on the edge of Glenavon’s penalty area struck the defensive wall, bounced back to him and O’Connor intercepted the Scot’s follow up effort before shooting past Tadhg Ryan with his left foot.
Fifteen minutes later O’Connor found space on the left, but Tadhg Ryan saved his shot easily.
In the 23rd minute Sean Carlin failed to control a cross-field by Len O’Sullivan and the unmarked Andy Ryan blasted the ball over the crossbar from 16 yards.
Both clubs lost players to injury during the first half. Larne’s Dylan Sloan was replaced after going down with a hamstring issue and four minutes later Glenavon’s Isaac Baird was forced off with a similar complaint. Isaac’s replacement, Rhys Marshall, also received treatment for a lengthy period after sustaining a blow to the head in a collision with Jack Malone.
Early in the second half Aaron Donnelly shot wide from a free kick on the left side of Glenavon’s penalty area.
Three minutes later Tadhg Ryan inadvertently kicked Rhys Marshall’s back into the air. When he was unable to retrieve the ball, Tiarnan O’Connor shot wide of the unguarded net.
The visitors started their fightback in the 53rd minute when Davy McDaid sent Rohan Ferguson scrambling to his left after Jack Malone’s initial attempt had been blocked. Harry Murphy headed the resultant corner-kick narrowly wide.
Six minutes later Len O’Sullivan’s cross struck a defender, ballooned further into the air and Murphy, lurking at the far post, forced Ferguson to stretch to keep the ball out of the net.
When substitute Chris Atherton won a tackle 25 yards out and Michael O’Connor let fly with a brilliant left foot half volley, Ferguson dived full length to his right to fingertip the ball onto the inside of the post. Fortunately for Larne, Ryan Nolan was on hand to clear the danger.
Davy McDaid shot over the crossbar and Jack Malone blasted the ball at Ferguson from 25 yards. Harry Murphy pounced on the rebound but was adjudged to have been offside.
When Malone’s free kick fell to Atherton, in space, 16 yards out he blasted over the crossbar.
In a rare attack, Larne striker Andy Ryan headed straight at Tadhg Ryan from a right wing cross.
In the 85th minute Glenavon squandered a gilt-edged chance to equalise. Substitute Paul McGovern let fly with his left foot, Ferguson made a superb save, and the rebound fell invitingly to the unmarked Atherton. However, the 16-year-old seemed to be taken unawares. The ball bounced off his ankles wide of the far post with the goal gapping.
Michael O’Connor got his head to Sean Carlin’s cross from the left but Ferguson saved easily.
Two minutes into stoppage time Len O’Sullivan forced a corner kick on the left. When Peter Campbell delivered a curling cross to the edge of the six-yard area, the impressive Murphy headed it goalward, Ferguson made another fine save, but this time David Toure smashed the rebound into the roof of the net.
Glenavon’s late equaliser was a just reward for an excellent second half display.
LARNE: Ferguson, Donnelly, S. Graham, Nolan, Bayode, Wallace, Cosgrove, Gallagher, T. O’Connor, A. Ryan, Sloan, SUBS: D. Graham (not used), McKendry (not used), O’Neill for T. O’Connor (79 mins), McEneff for Sloan (14 mins), Bolger for McEneff (79 mins), Brown (not used), Simpson (not used0.
Yellow Card: A. Ryan (84’).
GLENAVON: T. Ryan, Toure, O’Sullivan, Quinn, McKeown, Murphy, Malone, Baird, McDaid, M. O’Connor, Carlin, SUBS: Byrne (not used), Marshall for Baird (19 mins), Snoddy (not used), Campbell for Marshall (59 mins), Lynch (not used), Atherton for McKeown (half time), McGovern for McDaid (74 mins).
Yellow Card: Atherton (47’).
REFEREE: Steven Gregg.
