Warren Feeney left to rue Glentoran mistakes after falling to defeat against Premiership table-toppers Larne

Lee Bonis put Tiernan Lynch’s side ahead in the 39th minute after calmly converting from Sean Graham’s superb pinpoint pass before Andy Ryan doubled their advantage in the second-half with an excellent free-kick.

Bonis then netted his second – and a 50th since arriving at Larne from Portadown in 2022 – to secure all three points and extend his team’s unbeaten Premiership run to 21 matches as the County Antrim outfit look to defend the Gibson Cup crown they won for the first time last season.

It was a first league defeat in six games for the Glens, who remain in fourth, and Feeney felt the hosts showed their ruthless side by punishing The Oval club on a number of occasions.

"I don't think it was a 3-0 game...we got punished for mistakes,” he told BBC Sport NI. “For their three goals we had the ball every single time and that's what happens when you're playing against a team like Larne.

"I'm disappointed because these games are like a game of chess cancelling each other out and I thought we'd get that bit of momentum. We gave the ball away in the first-half, one pass and they scored.

"In the second-half it was our throw in it started from and the third goal again we had the ball in the middle of the park and lost it. On the second one I was a wee bit disappointed because I think it's a soft free-kick...if there's a free-kick given for that there would be 200 free-kicks a game.

"We were well in the game but at the end of the day that's why they are champions...we make three mistakes and get punished - they lose the ball and we don't punish them. That's what football is all about and we have to learn from it."

Feeney’s side will have to pick themselves up for next weekend’s home Irish Cup quarter-final against Championship outfit Ballyclare Comrades with the competition providing their last chance for silverware this campaign and an opportunity to book a spot in Europe for next season – something which they could also achieve through the play-offs.

Ballyclare upset Premiership opposition in Dungannon Swifts earlier this month to reach the last-eight stage for a second consecutive season and ex-Northern Ireland international Feeney believes it will be tougher than Friday’s defeat to the reigning champions in some regards.

"We have to pick ourselves up and we've a harder game next week to be honest,” he added. “It's a disappointed changing room and I can't be too hard because the boys have been on a decent run.

"I said that's the difference coming here to a team like Larne who are champions for a reason...we have to take it on the chin.

"It'll be a harder game (against Ballyclare) than tonight and that's no disrespect because I expect us to go and win it and we have to.

"We'll analyse this, go next week and there's still a lot of football to be played. I'm not going to get too down because we've been in good form...we need to take our medicine and move on to the next one."