'We will be there to be shot at', says Larne assistant manager Gary Haveron

The Bannsiders would pick up their first win since March 7 as Matthew Shevlin netted twice in the second-half, as well as Jamie Glackin’s late effort to seal a 3-0 success.

Larne had the majority of the chances in the first-half as Lee Bonis failed to convert twice from a good position and that was as good as it got for the visitors as Shevlin netted twice in a 15 minute spell after the break, with Glackin adding a late third on the counter attack.

The defeat will take nothing away from Larne’s title success but Haveron knows the Inver Reds will be in the firing line for clubs seeking to claim a scalp against the reigning champions next season.

“If we only won the league once it would be no use, we have to back it up and that’s the mindset we have to develop at Larne,” he added.

"It's not a case of one season and that's great like Leicester and be happy with it.

“The hunger to do more to get the same success is there in the group and with the manager.

“If we can stick together, that's the aim for next year.

"You're there to be shot at.

"Linfield have had to carry that for a long time being the benchmark.

"Now clubs will look at Larne and say that's where we have to get to next year.

"Our boys are going to have to lift their level and they have to understand the work for next season starts here."

The win provides a boost for Coleraine who will be involved in the end-of-season European play-offs in two weeks’ time.

"We will make good use of that time and it's just a real sharpener,” boss Oran Kearney said.

"It's more to sharpen the minds and keep the legs ticking over.

"We will get a good week behind us and look forward to finding out who we have.

"I'm just glad we got through the post-split fixtures with no injuries or suspensions.

"We have managed the squad how we needed to and hopefully that leaves us with a strong 18 heading into that game.

"We can't afford going into that game with a few players out, we need our strongest players on the pitch and we have plenty to offer when we can do that.

"It's been tough for everybody but all anyone wants to see moving into that play-off game is that we flex our muscles a little bit and show what we've got.

"I thought the performance was bang on where it needed to be."

COLERAINE: Gallagher, D. Jarvis, McKendry, Lowry, Carson, Farren, O’Donnell, Lynch, Glackin, O’Mahony (McCrudden ’46 mins), Shevlin (Gaston ’75 mins).

Subs Not Used: Deane (GK), Kane, Fyfe, Scott, Devine.

LARNE: Pardington, Want, Watson (O’Neill ’79 mins), Kearns (Hutchison ’53 mins), Randall (Thomson ’53 mins), Bonis, Gordon (Wolters ’53 mins), Maguire (Walker ’68 mins), Glynn, Ryan, Brown.

Subs Not Used: Ferguson (GK), Donnelly.

Referee: Keith Kennedy