Ryan returns, Hoban heroics and Blues bounce back – Irish Premiership takeaways

There was still plenty to discuss in the Irish Premiership this weekend despite two postponements brought on by frozen pitches.

After defeating second-placed Coleraine at Inver Park on Friday night, Larne moved seven points clear at the top of the table.

The final three games on Saturday more than made up for the cancelled games with Ballymena v. Glenavon and Portadown v. Cliftonville both having been called off.

In order for other teams to search for a proven forward capable of scoring goals in the transfer window, Gary Haveron looks to have one returning from injury that could help Larne advance to their third league title in four years.

In a chilly Inver Park, Andy Ryan certainly had an impact when he faced Coleraine, scoring twice in 12 minutes.

Ryan, who has been sidelined for five months with a broken leg, started in the 69th minute and scored from the penalty spot just five minutes later.

After the striker doubled Larne’s lead on 81 minutes, Paul O’Neill’s second goal in three games secured the three points and a second-place finish for the Inver Reds.

Speaking of strikers hitting form well at Taylors Avenue, Pat Hoban became the first player to score six goals in an Irish Premiership game since Gary Hamilton in October 2004.

Hoban has started the campaign with a mixed start, but he has now scored in three of Glentoran’s previous four games.

On Tuesday, January 13, Glentoran host the Inver Reds, with the hopes of a Ryan v. Hoban showdown when Premiership action returns to the forefront following the Irish Cup fifth round fixtures.

Reece Glendinning was sent off, Ryan Waide appears to be joining their lengthy injury list, and Scott Pengelly is the only senior keeper at the club who is still available after Nathan Gartside has been sidelined for a while with a thigh issue. This made for a much more difficult afternoon for Carrick fans.

Crusaders have faced challenges this season, but they have found success over the holidays to clear themselves of the bottom two.

While Scotland’s Fraser Bryden and Adam Brooks have made the most of the headlines this season, stopper Musa Dibaga has recently received praise from both manager Declan Caddell and assistant manager David Rainey.

Dibaga won the first two games of the season with a chaotic 3-1 win over Bangor, where he saved two penalties before being replaced by veteran Jonny Tuffey between the posts.

After falling to Bangor three times in a row, Linfield needed a strong performance, and the champions did just that.

Matthew Fitzpatrick’s two goals increased his season total to nine, and Chris McKee also found the back of the net twice.

David Healy will be hoping that his side can become more assured and successful as a result of Charlie Allen and Matt Yates’ scoring.

Before the end-of-season split, the Blues had already won the league by 22 points. They are still far from as convincing this year, and they are now fourth in the league, 14 points behind Larne.

Since the transfer window opened on Thursday in January, there hasn’t been a lot of announcements given the Irish Premiership’s abundance of options.

Sean Murray has joined the club following the signing of trio Dean Ebbe, Zach Nolan, and Igor Rutkowski in December.

Brandon Bermingham has returned to Dungannon Swifts after spending time at Cliftonville, giving Bangor more midfield options than Stephen Fallon, who has the experience of signing him on loan from Coleraine.

Ruaidhri Higgins has continued the trend into this window following a busy summer market for Coleraine. Both Mark Connolly and Ben Wylie, both of whom made their debuts against Larne on Friday, have signed for the Bannsiders.

Michael O’Connor must overcome a difficult situation in order to prevent Glenavon from being relegated to the Championship for the first time since 2004. It will be a busy few weeks for the Lurgan Blues because they have added Gavin Gilmore from Finn Harps to their ranks as well as Francely Lomboto, David McDaid, Bridel Bosakani, and Corey Smith.

Before going into the window, David Healy said, “They are not going to sign for the sake of” it, and they have had a quiet January. He said he would look more in-house at more people coming back.

The Blues have only returned to the Blues since Kirk Millar, Kyle McClean, and Ben Hall left after a spell with Premier Intermediate side Ballymacash Rangers, but they did so last month when they signed their own players on new contracts.