Larne manager Tiernan Lynch embracing Crusaders challenge as his side look to maintain impressive unbeaten Premiership run

Lee Bonis started a first league game since October 28 in last Friday’s 4-1 success over Glenavon and marked it with a tremendous second-half finish, adding to his strike in Larne’s BetMcLean Cup defeat to Linfield a few days prior with the 24-year-old looking like he’s returning to his best.

Strike partner Andy Ryan missed the entirety of October through injury but has been able to start four consecutive matches while 2022/23 Premiership Player of the Season, Leroy Millar, has also put early season fitness issues behind him to score four times in the Inver Reds’ last five matches.

Victory over an in-form Lurgan Blues means Lynch’s men have put together an unbeaten league run spanning 11 matches and could return to the top of the table tonight with current occupants Linfield, who still have one game in hand, travelling to Mourneview Park tomorrow.

Larne have only lost one of their previous six league trips to Seaview, but Lynch says he isn’t getting carried away despite their recent winning form.

"Getting Lee a run of games and finding his confidence again, getting Chucky (Ryan) a run of games – I don't think they've played too many games together this season,” he told the club’s media channel. “Leroy struggled at the start of the season with his hamstring and is now starting to find his form again.

"Hopefully all these type of things can start to kick in and make a difference.

"We'll not get carried away with anything or look too far ahead. These are the games that you have to embrace, enjoy and really look forward to.

"Crusaders are a top side with top players, but you want to challenge yourself against top teams, top managers and top players.

"The one game that we let ourselves down was Ballymena (0-0 draw) when we weren't quite ourselves, but apart from that there haven't been too many performances with this group of players where we have to come in and not be happy with them.

"It wasn't even a work-rate thing against Ballymena but just some things we did didn't get us into the areas we needed to be in."

After finding starting opportunities hard to come by at the beginning of this season, Larne midfielder Joe Thomson picked up November’s Premiership Player of the Month award and Lynch has hailed the quality of his squad.

"He scored some really important goals for us in November and got his reward for it,” he added. “I'm delighted for him and the work he puts in.

"If you look at any of the top teams in football worldwide, it's the ones that have the best squads that more often than not have the best success.

"There's not a season goes by that even the best players in the world don’t have a dip in form or don't pick up a knock and it's about when those situations happen that you can replace like-for-like – I think we're very much in that position now."