Danske Bank Premiership
Crusaders v Larne (Friday, 7.45pm)
“Cometh the hour, cometh the man”.
For Larne captain Tomas Cosgrove the permutations are simple; avoid defeat against Crusaders at Seaview on Friday night and he will become the first Larne captain to lift the Gibson Cup in the club’s 13- year history.
“When you say it like that it makes it feel even more special, but we’ll not be looking beyond the Crusaders game. For us, we want the three points to make history, we’ll not go looking a draw," said the Ardoyne man.
Glentoran’s failure to beat Linfield on Wednesday night means the title is back in the hands of the Inver men. Since the turn of the year, Larne have been almost unbeatable. They have gone 14 games undefeated, 10 of which have been wins and picked up a staggering 12 clean sheets along the way. Stats like this will make it hard to argue that Cosgrove and his team-mates are deserving champions come the final whistle on Friday night.
“I think we all feel that we are worthy of the title this year. But at the same time, the table doesn’t lie and if we were to throw it away at this stage, we would have no one to blame but ourselves. It’s up to us to make sure that doesn’t happen,” he said.
Cosgrove has been part of 'Project Larne' since the early days of Kenny Bruce’s takeover, joining from Cliftonville in 2018. It wasn’t all plain sailing, as the skipper explains:
“Going from a Premiership title chasing side to Championship football was tough. It wasn’t as easy as people may believe. We had to fight hard to get promotion and cement our place in the top-flight.
“It required a buy-in. I knew [manager] Tiernan [Lynch] from my days at Cliftonville and I had trust that he had a big plan for the next few years to get us to where we are now. Our journey will make it even more sweeter if we can get over the line on Friday.
“Larne is about more than the first team on a matchday. It's about the future, which I really like. Our new training facilities for our youth sides are first class and there is a push with the ladies' team too, which is all the more special as I have a young son and daughter involved at the club too. That’s special”
Cosgrove is grounded in his approach for Friday and knows what to expect from a Crusaders side who have often flattered to deceive on their travels, but are the top side in the league at putting teams to the sword at home.
“We know what Crusaders will bring on Friday - well-organised, tough to break down and dangerous from set pieces,” Cosgrove said.
Crusaders go into the game with a belief they could still pip Linfield for second in the table and nab that automatic European spot. They themselves are undefeated in their last five games so they will have their tails up, aiming to be the party poopers come 9.45pm on Friday night.
With two draws and a Larne win in their head-to-heads this season, spectators will not be expecting an easy win for any of the sides. It is likely to come down to who wants it more and Cosgorve will not be found wanting in this regard with a 100 per cent record in league appearances this season.
“My durability is probably something that has helped me and the team this year It is my role to lead by example,” he says
If the title does arrive on Friday what are the plans for the side?
“If we get over the line I’m hoping Tiernan gives us a day off to celebrate!" he says with a chuckle, and who could deny that momentary release to a captain and his side who have shown a clean pair of heels to all before them this season.
