Larne boss Tiernan Lynch was left “disappointed and frustrated” after watching his team slip to a 4-1 defeat by Shamrock Rovers in their Uefa Conference League game at Windsor Park.
Josh Honohan put the League of Ireland champions in front after just three minutes and Johnny Kenny doubled the lead before a Tomas Cosgrove own goal made it 3-0.
Chris Gallagher netted early in the second half to give Larne hope, before the impressive Graham Burke sealed a comfortable win for the Dubliners.
“I’m disappointed and frustrated – we conceded really stupid goals at really bad times,” said Lynch.
“We got hit by a sucker-punch very early. The one thing you can’t do is let Rovers get into a rhythm and we got punished for that.”
It was a harsh lesson for Larne, who are the first team from Northern Ireland to qualify for the league stage of a European competition.
“We knew how good a team Rovers are and how many good individuals they have,” Lynch said.
“We just didn’t do the things that we worked so hard to make sure we carried out and got punished badly.”
Rovers manager Stephen Bradley was delighted with his team’s display in Belfast and it comes as they continue to push for a fifth straight League of Ireland title with just two matches left in the domestic season.
“The players implemented the gameplan very well – they were excellent,” Bradley said.
“This group of players always come alive in the second part of the season. They thrive under pressure and the buzz of having to win.”
The visitors dominated the game on the big pitch at Windsor Park, used by Larne in the competition with their Inver Park home not meeting Uefa requirements.
The win puts Bradley’s side on four points from their opening two matches following a 1-1 draw with APOEL.
“I knew getting the players on that big pitch suited them,” said Bradley.
“It’s exactly where we want to be [on four points] – it gives us the chance to go on and qualify automatically.”
