Our only worry was leaving Ballymena with all three points rather than a good performance, states Larne chief Tiernan Lynch as Lee Bonis' early header seals vital win

Due to a heavy rain, the pitch at The Showgrounds cut up meaning free-flowing football was not on offer between both teams throughout the 90 minutes.

However, a moment of class would prove to be the match winner with only eight minutes on the clock as Andy Ryan's sublime touch and cross was on the money for Lee Bonis to head home.

In truth, Larne were never really troubled and could have added to their lead as Sean Graham and Jaziel Orozco both went close in the second half.

The win means it is 20 matches unbeaten in the Premiership for the reigning champions as the Inver Reds stretch their lead at the top to three points.

"I think we knew coming into today that it was never going to be about a performance," Lynch said.

"You don't come to Ballymena on days like this when there's a heavy rain and the pitch is heavy and start worrying about how many passes you're going to make.

"You have to worry about trying to get out of here with all three points.

"There are days where a good performance is very much key and there's day where we will look back on games and think we probably could have done this differently but today won't be one we look back on.

"Today was about getting the balls into good areas as best as we can and we have been watching this Ballymena team all week.

"They've been very unfortunate the last number of weeks and they are a really hard working team who are giving their manager absolutely everything, so great credit to them."

Larne have only conceded 16 goals in the Premiership this term and Lynch remarked that it gives his side "a great platform" to build from.

He added: "I know people talk about what we do in possession but we do a huge amount out of possession to make sure we have a structure in our team and how we're set-up.

"You don't want to set-up to simply not concede but there's a very fine balance in how you set your team up to try and be solid and have a structure about how you play.

"Thankfully, we have been very fortunate with it.

"You can buckle in situations like that because they had 10 men in the box and anything can happen with big long balls.

"That isn't about who outplayed who, it's about a long ball going into the box where anything can happen with a second ball or someone slips, so I think our boys have to take great credit for the character they showed."

When asked if difficult playing surfaces can alter plans, Lynch stated: "We weren't aware the pitch was going to be like that.

"It's not too hard to work out when you're on a grass pitch and there's been rain for a couple of days.

"Does it affect your team selection at times? Yes, it makes you think about what your game plan is and picking the right players for the right occasion.

"Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you get it wrong.”