Irish Premiership: Lee Bonis scores two as Larne secure easy win over toothless Portadown
- Published
Lee Bonis was on target twice against his former club
Lee Bonis scored a double as Larne strolled to an easy 4-0 victory over Portadown at Inver Park.
Kofi Balmer scored in between Bonis' goal with substitute Navid Nasseri grabbing a fourth.
The victory sees Larne move above Crusaders into fourth in the table.
In a match that kicked off at the later-than-usual time of 17:30 GMT, Tiernan Lynch's men were hugely comfortable throughout against the toothless visitors.
After scoring his first goal for his new club on Tuesday night. Bonis should have doubled his tally early on when an inviting low cross from Tomas Cosgrove found him but he fired wide from 10 yards out.
However, the former Portadown striker made amends in the 24th minute when he got across his marker at the front post to score with a fine finish from another low cross by Cosgrove, who was played in cleverly by Davy McDaid.
The rest of the first half was a one-sided affair, with the hosts dominating possession, and they almost doubled their lead just before the break when Dean Jarvis got forward well, but his low shot was saved at the near post by visiting goalkeeper Jethren Barr.
The pattern continued after the break as Portadown struggled to make an impact in the game and they fell further behind on 58 minutes when Balmer headed home a Ben Doherty corner at the back post to double the lead.
It was 3-0 four minutes later as Bonis got his second goal of the evening, bundling home the rebound after Ports goalkeeper Jethren Barr had got down to save a low McDaid shot from a tight angle.
Larne made it 4-0 in the 71st minute and again Cosgrove was the provider, this time his cross falling to substitute Navid Nasseri who found the bottom corner of the net with a lovely curler.
With bottom side Warrenpoint Town losing earlier on Saturday, Portadown remain five points ahead in 11th place.