A fresh County Antrim Shield campaign began in September 2023 with a burning question: who will be the team to finally knock Larne off their winners’ perch?
At the end of the latest edition of a historic competition, that question remains unanswered.
The Invermen still can’t be beaten – not even the stormy weather conditions on Final day itself were enough to break their resistance.
After defeating Glentoran 2-1 at a rain and wind-swept Seaview on Tuesday night, they are now four-in-a-row champions of the Shield. Roy Coyle stood alone as the solitary manager to achieve four straight triumphs in the tournament, from 1981 to 1984, but four decades on, Tiernan Lynch now joins him in that exclusive pantheon.
The Larne boss has made this competition firmly their own in the 2020s. Cliftonville prevailed in the January before Covid, but since then, it’s been an irrepressible grip on the ‘Bin Lid’ from the east Antrim outfit.
When they beat the Glens on penalties in December 2020 to start this love affair with this oversized prize, they were looked at as pretenders.
Highly ambitious yet with precious little physical silverware at the top-flight level to prove their intentions, Lynch collecting the Shield was a statement that they were both the real deal and here to stay.
A little over three years on, they are defending Irish League champions and determined to go the distance with Linfield to retain the Gibson Cup.
It is no surprise nor secret that this competition – looked at as the fourth from four among top-tier clubs when ranking Northern Ireland’s most major honours; the Premiership, Irish Cup and BetMcLean Cup being the other three – has fuelled Larne’s eagerness to win and, indeed, push on for perhaps more illustrious awards.
It feels as if 43-year-old supremo Lynch uses the Shield as a way to replenish his squad’s hunger and remind them exactly what success looks like, and how it has worked in Larne’s favour.
Here, goals from corner kicks by captain Cian Bolger and his predecessor in the role Tomas Cosgrove proved enough to seal the deal despite David Fisher drilling home an equaliser for Glentoran in between.
Bolger, who was later named Man of the Match following an assertive display at the heart of defence, broke the deadlock 38 minutes deep into the contest in north Belfast.
A fine ball in by Levi Ives was latched onto by striker Lee Bonis, who was denied by Glens goalkeeper Aaron McCarey only for the former Northampton Town centre-back to prod home at the second ask.
It took merely three minutes after the restart for Warren Feeney’s charges to draw back level when the lively Fisher powered a fierce attempt underneath Rohan Ferguson – who will have been disappointed to be beaten at his near post – and rattled the back of the net right in front of a raucous batch of Glentoran supporters.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man, however, as the red shirts retook the lead through a man who has cemented his status in Larne folklore.
Just as he did two years earlier against Linfield when he bagged the only goal of the game to spark Inver celebrations for the second time, Cosgrove had the answer when he towered to nod Mark Randall’s cross into the Railway End net.
From there, the holders weathered a Glentoran storm, which peaked in an enthralling climax when Luke McCullough sent the crossbar shaking during a frantic goalmouth scramble as the clock ticked into additional time, and retained their grip on the trophy for another year.
Fuad Sule, once an ally, was a pantomime villain as the Larne faithful seemed to boo their former midfield general’s every touch; Chris Gallagher, cup-tied after his prior involvement with Cliftonville, was named from the start by Mick McDermott when Glentoran were beaten three years earlier but didn’t even need to touch the ball to rake in his first trophy as an Inver Red against his former employers.
There were plenty of storylines dotted in and around the evening’s events, but the elephant in the room most certainly was the four-peat.
“We don’t take success lightly,” Lynch told BBC Sport NI in the aftermath. “This is about the club, fans and (owner) Kenny (Bruce). We want to be competitive and reach the later stages of competitions.
“This is what it is all about. The players and fans do the hard work, they deserve all the credit.”
Admirable modesty from the Belfast man, but you couldn’t talk about Larne’s odyssey since 2017 without mentioning him.
There were a couple of colossal performances on the pitch, too.
In addition to Bolger, Cosgrove and the understated but supremely consistent Aaron Donnelly in the back-three, Randall, who replaced the unfortunate Dylan Sloan after the teenager took a knock half an hour in, was authoritative in midfield; a Mexican abroad next to him, 19-year-old Real Salt Lake loanee Jaziel Orozco, put in a fine shift playing the pivot. Ives, playing on his weaker right side, and Sean Graham also made themselves counted from the flanks.
Glentoran, a threat in fits and spurts through the likes of Fisher and energetic midfielders Bobby Burns and Seanan Clucas – the latter had not started against Premiership opposition in over a year yet still couldn’t be faulted for his endeavour – will feel frustration at spurning the chance to end a drought in the Shield that will extend beyond 15 years.
Feeney, who also opted for a 3-5-2 formation with Junior pairing Fisher up top, has felt the heat from Glens fans at various points in his tenure.
They remain in the Irish Cup, but given they are some 24 points off cross-city rivals Linfield at the summit, that is their sole realistic chance of silverware.
Their 3-2 after-extra-time defeat of Larne at The BetMcLean Oval on October 15, 2019 is still the last time their Final opponents tasted defeat in this setting, and they were victorious the following year in the Irish Cup when they beat Ballymena United in the decider. That remains their only senior honour since Ali Pour’s 2019 takeover, however, and that air of unfulfilled potential will continue to swirl around Mersey Street until they line the cabinet with more.
With talent like Daire O’Connor, Niall McGinn and Shay McCartan named among Feeney’s substitutes on Tuesday, there’s no dearth of depth at the top end.
The question is whether it can, in time, gel together and put them back in the title conversation again – the type that Larne are in. Feeney still has a point to prove to supporters and may find himself with more pressure on his shoulders after this bitter blow, which always had watershed potential, but he and his team must soldier on.
Meanwhile, it’s Larne’s moment to savour, and Lynch will hope their haul doesn’t end there as the club bids to scratch the ‘zero’ next to their name for Irish Cup wins and keep the Premiership title housed at Inver Park for another year.
This result on the Shore Road is unlikely to dampen those aspirations.
On the same night, Portadown also ended a dry run dating back to 2003 when they clinched the Mid-Ulster Cup having easily swept aside Dungannon Swifts 5-2 at Shamrock Park.
Their first senior honour since lifting the League Cup in 2009, an Eamon Fyfe hat-trick was their primary source of inspiration as he opened and closed the Ports’ goal account on 11 and 72 minutes.
Helping them storm to victory were Luke Wilson, who doubled the lead just two minutes after Fyfe set the ball rolling, and Ryan Mayse, who netted seven minutes before half-time for a 3-0 advantage at the interval.
Thomas Maguire pulled one back for Rodney McAree’s Dungannon before Fyfe fired in a quick double to snuff any tentative hopes of a fightback, with Dean Curry’s late finish rendered consolatory six minutes from time.
Niall Currie has already guided Portadown to a BetMcLean Cup Final against Linfield, and having remarkably disposed of Premiership opposition in the form of Loughgall (twice), Crusaders, Glenavon, Carrick Rangers and now the Swifts in cup competitions throughout the 2023/24 term, he will hope to translate these exploits into a heightened promotion charge in the Playr-Fit Championship where they sit fourth-place.
Grabbing a piece of regional silverware will not dent their ambitions en route to their league aim one bit.
Featured image from Bill Guiller/Larne FC Media.
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