LARNE HIT LATE LEVELLER AT INVER
Larne came from behind to secure a point from Crusaders' visit to Inver Park.
A quiet first half produced relatively few efforts of note, with Larne threatening early on when Paul O'Neill meeting Conor McKendry's cross with a looping header only to send the ball over the top.
Then, midway through, a Joe Thomson free-kick from just outside the area took a deflection on its way to goal but Crues keeper Jonny Tuffey was able to deal with the threat.
Larne continued to carve out the better opportunities after the break, with McKendry firing just wide early on followed by a Sean Graham strike from the left.
However it fell to the visitors to break the deadlock on 55 minutes. Larne keeper Rohan Ferguson mistakenly allowed Kieran Offord to take possession of the ball some 30 yards from goal, with the Crues striker making the most of the chance with a curling effort that dropped into the net.
That was how it stayed until, nine minutes from the end, substitute Benji Magee levelled for Larne when a free-kick fell for him to direct home.
The defending champions pushed hard for the winner in the closing moments with Andy Ryan testing Tuffey with a low drive ahead of a Matthew Lusty near post effort and another Ryan attempt which Tuffey again denied.
Larne: Ferguson, Want, Ives, Thomson, McKendry, O’Neill, Graham, Todd, Cosgrove, Gallagher, Ryan subs Besant, Randall, Magee, Seary, Bolger, Sloan, Lusty
Crusaders: Tuffey, Callacher, Weir, Stewart, Blaney, Forsythe, O’Rourke, Offord, Clarke, Franklin, Barr subs Kerr, Jewitt-White, Teelan, Williamson, Owens, Smith, Nixon
Substitution 
Substitution 
