Larne stay in touching distance before big break

Larne have certainly picked up the pieces from their painful European exit and used that late loss against Lincoln Red Imps as fuel in their quest to retain the Irish Premiership title. Gary Haveron's men have gone under the radar so far this term given the hype around Coleraine and the upheaval at Glentoran, but, like the Bannsiders, they have made an unbeaten start to the campaign. After a goalless draw against Coleraine in their opening game, Larne have won five in a row. They have scored 12 goals in their six games and conceded just three to sit six points behind league leaders Coleraine having played two games less. The issue now for Haveron is that the six-point gap is set to increase, with Larne not back in action until 10 October, due to international call-ups. O'Neill hits hat-trick as Larne overcome Carrick 'The boys deserve a break' With Dan Bent, who scored two penalties in Saturday's thrilling 5-2 derby victory over 10-man Carrick Rangers, away with Gibraltar and James Simpson having been called up to the Northern Ireland under-21 squad, Larne have had their next two games rearranged. Fixtures against Linfield and Dungannon as well as those that were already postponed against Limavady United and Ballymena United, have all been slotted in for midweek dates at the end of October and the start of December. By the time they face Crusaders at Seaview in three weeks' time they could find themselves 12 points behind Coleraine, who they then take on at Inver Park on 17 October. Playing catch-up to a side with the depth and momentum Coleraine have is never ideal, especially with the pile up of games for Larne growing, but Haveron is choosing to look at the break in a different light. With Larne having commenced pre-season at the start of June due to their European commitments, he believes the big gap between their last game and their next could actually be beneficial for players and the management team to recharge ahead of another challenging run of fixtures. "The boys deserve a break. They've been flat to the mat since the beginning of June. They've been back a long time already and it's a hell of a long season," he told BBC Sport NI. "It's a mental refresh as much as anything else." Lusty and O'Neill lead Larne's charge One player keen for the extended break will be striker Matty Lusty, who limped off with what looked like a hamstring injury in the win against Carrick. The 23-year-old has had a flying start to the season, scoring three goals in six league games and he will hope the break will reduce the amount of games he could be forced to sit out. Lusty has linked up well with strike partner Paul O'Neill, providing an assist for the former Cliftonville man, who took home the match ball with a clinical hat-trick. Those were his first three goals in the league this season but his and Lusty's early season contributions have gone a long way in trying to plug the Andy Ryan shaped hole in the Larne team. O'Neill is beginning to reap the rewards of regular gametime that was not as forthcoming when Ryan, who scored a hat-trick for Hamilton against Queen of the South on Saturday, was at the club. His first goal was that of a forward playing with confidence as he shrugged off Jimmy Callacher, spun and curled an effort beyond the despairing dive of Nathan Gartside. His second was more of a striker's finish, poking home from Lusty's unselfish pass, as was his third as he stabbed in at the back post to finish after Bent's flick-on. While he and Lusty have been guilty of spurning chances against the likes of Portadown and Cliftonville that could have given Larne even more comfortable victories and add more goals to add to their personal tallies, Haveron has been delighted with O'Neill's start to the campaign in particular. "Paul O'Neill has really grabbed that leading role in the frontline as an out-and-out number nine," said Haveron "He is such a willing worker, he has so much quality and his first goal is absolutely breathtaking." Two of the three goals Larne have conceded this season also came in that entertaining game against Carrick as goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson, on his 250th appearance, had a rare off day. But their defensive strength combined with the variety of goalscorers they have had this season (not just Lusty and O'Neill) show that the defending champions are still a force to be reckoned with. Having had the experience of being the hunted or the hunter for the past four seasons, they will have the confidence that they can claw back whatever deficit they find themselves facing in the coming months by doing what they have done so far this season, racking up wins, goals and clean sheets with ease.