Larne defeat Glentoran to win County Antrim Shield for a remarkable fourth time in a row
Glentoran 1 Larne 2
Larne's Tomas Cosgrove celebrates his goal during the County Antrim Shield final at Seaview
Larne’s Paul O'Neill in action with Glentoran’s Seanan Clucas
Larne boss Tiernan Lynch with Glentoran manager Warren Feeney ahead of the County Antrim Shield final at Seaview
Tomas Cosgove was again the hero of the hour for Larne as his winning goal clinched a record fourth Toals County Antrim Shield in a row.
Two years ago, the seasoned defender scored the winning goal against Linfield in the second winning final and he repeated the feat against Glentoran at a blustery Seaview last night.
Larne centre-half Cian Bolger hoisted the famous trophy aloft in triumph after the win and few deserved it more than the 31-year-old.
Not only did Bolger open the scoring for the Inver Reds before half time, he also corralled his troops expertly, winning the Man of the Match accolade.
Glentoran played their part in a competitive final, particularly after the break, but in the end Larne showed just enough quality to merit the win, with Cosgrove nodding home the winner on 58 minutes.
Weather conditions were a concern prior to kick off and after a few minutes of play the wind picked up and the skies opened, bucketing down on the players.
Had these conditions endured the officials may have had a decision to make but remarkably the storm died down quickly after ten minutes.
The holders shaded possession in the opening exchanges but as the final unfolded Glentoran's back line held out resolutely, patrolled by the twin pillars of Luke McCullough and Paddy McClean.
In front of Glentoran's back line was former Larne midfielder Fuad Sule, who was booed throughout by his former fans, Seanan Clucas and Bobby Burns, and they provided
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