Larne and Glens win as league title race continues

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. 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 see off Blues 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.