Larne will prepare for 'life or death' visit to Cliftonville, says boss Tiernan Lynch

Larne know they will secure their very first Gibson Cup triumph if they bank all three points at Solitude and Linfield fall to a defeat against Glentoran in tomorrow night’s Big Two derby at Windsor Park.

Lynch’s troops bounced back from their disappointing Irish Cup semi-final defeat by Ballymena United as they overcame Glentoran at Inver Park on Good Friday.

That win, coupled with Linfield’s stalemate against Crusaders, means Larne now lead the Danske Bank Premiership by seven points with just four games remaining.

Lynch was full of praise for his side’s performance against the Glens as Micheal Glynn and Lee Bonis struck in the first half to effectively seal the points.

"We let ourselves down last week, we let our fans down,” Lynch said of the Irish Cup loss.

"It wasn't a Larne performance, it was a very unlike-Larne performance.

"It was important we got back to what we are good at, that's just honesty and hard work. I couldn't be more proud of them.

"There were a lot of very open and honest conversations during the week. I told them on the Monday that I didn't feel any different after the result, they are the best team I've ever worked with.

"The boys knew they had to put things right and it was typical of them that they went and did it. We looked hungry and got numbers forward from the start, there was a good tempo and desire...all the things that we're about.

"We were very dominant in our possession last week but there was no real penetration.

"We got that against Glentoran, and even in the second half if our final ball had been better we could have done more.”

Larne know that all three points at Solitude will put the heat on Linfield but Lynch is simply focusing on the task at hand for his side.

"People talk about looking around you or behind you, but you'll get a crick in your neck,” he added.

"It's about looking forward because we can only control what we do.

"We have to focus on getting our preparation right for going into Cliftonville on Tuesday, that's all we'll be thinking about.

"They are a top team with a top manager, and they are always there or thereabouts. We know exactly what we will be getting at this stage of the season.

"It's the business end and it's life or death for most teams, we have to prepare ourselves for that."

Lynch reaffirmed that if his players produce the goods they will give themselves every chance of a successful end to the campaign.

"Our fans are outstanding and the one thing they want to see is pride in the shirt,” he continued.

"It doesn't really matter how you play, we all have bad games, nobody intentionally goes out to have a bad game, but it happens.

"However, there's no excuse for not working hard. As long as the fans see the hard work and endeavour, and I keep saying to the players if they produce that nine times out of 10 they'll win more games than they'll lose.