LARNE boss Tiernan Lynch - a target for SPL club St Johnstone - has plenty to ponder after his side came from 1-0 down to beat Cliftonville 3-1 at Solitude on Friday night but Reds boss Jim Magilton was not a happy man.
Magilton criticised the decision to award Larne a penalty after Andy Ryan was fouled by Jonny Addis, who was subsequently sent off.
Replays suggested that the challenge occurred outside the area.
“At the time I thought he was well outside the box, I thought it was a red card, but the referee just needed to take a second, he was very quick with the penalty decision,” Magilton said.
“I thought Jonny had to go as he was the last man, and he has clearly pushed him, so the red card was without debate.
“But it was never a penalty, he was never anywhere near the box in terms of being inside, so I thought it was a really poor decision.”
Rory Donnelly had given Magilton’s men the lead early on but three goals in the second half handed the visitors all three points.
Former Reds star Tomas Cosgrove drew Larne level seven minutes into the second half, with Ryan scoring from the spot - after Addis had been dismissed for a foul on the Scot - to give the Inver men the lead. Substitute Paul O’Neill - another former Red - added a third
The victory powered Larne up to third place, just three points behind leaders Linfield - who visit Coleraine on Saturday - with a game in hand.
Lynch, who has led Larne to the last two league titles and into this season’s Europa Conference League group stages, is believed to be in the frame for the job at SPL side St Johnstone, who host Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic on Saturday evening.
The east Antrim club had never won the title before Lynch’s tenure, while no Irish League side had ever reached the group stages of European football. Larne open their campaign against Molde in Norway on Thursday.