‘We can only control what we do’ – Larne manager Tiernan Lynch on title run-in

Larne manager Tiernan Lynch believes there will still be “a lot of twists and turns before all is said and done” in the Irish Premiership title race.

The Blues secured a last-gasp 2-1 win over Crusaders at Seaview on Friday night to move top as they attempt to reclaim the league title.

“We can’t control what Linfield do, we only control what we do,” said Lynch.

“Back in November, a game against Linfield, we could have gone 11 points behind had we lost that game.

“That was a game we knew we had to win and it gave us the opportunity to claw that gap back. Great credit to the players for doing that.

“Whether we win the league or don’t win the league you can’t take away what this phenomenal group of players have done and the success they have brought to this football club. You just hope they reap the rewards for it.”

Larne recently lost their Irish Cup semi-final against Cliftonville, before emerging 2-0 winners in a top flight re-match against the north Belfast side at Solitude three days later.

Last Saturday, Crusaders defeated the Invermen 1-0 to end their 24-game unbeaten league run and inflict a first home defeat on Lynch’s charges since November 2022.

“All the things we have been good at we probably didn’t do enough of on Saturday,” added Lynch.

“We didn’t perform in the semi-final and there was probably a huge emotional drain on the players, just because the group of players that they are they knew they had to put it right for a million different reasons.

“They won Tuesday’s game [against Cliftonville] and by the time Saturday came I think they were physically and emotionally drained.

“That’s not to take anything away from Crusaders. When I looked back I thought we dominated the game but there were opportunities we just didn’t take.

“On another day if we had taken them it could have been a very different outcome.”

‘Teams lift their game against Larne’

A potential title showdown with Linfield awaits on 22 April, but for now the east Antrim team’s focus is solely on facing Jim Magilton’s Reds, whose own ambitions of lifting the Gibson Cup have faltered in recent weeks.

“Linfield are a top team and you also have Cliftonville who were in there to make this a title race.

“It was always going to be difficult and I’ve noticed in the last year or 18 months that teams lift their game when Larne come to town.

“That’s something we probably struggled with at the start of the season and we had results that we didn’t like. But I felt we dealt with that and got ourselves on a run, so great credit to the players. Now the only thing we can control is how we go into Saturday night.”