The Ports created the first effort of note after four minutes when Gary McCutcheon delivered a cross which Peter Kennedy sent narrowly wide while, twenty minutes later, Larne came close through Lewis Hamlin although John Convery was on hand to clear the danger.

On 29 minutes McCutcheon attempted an ambitious overhead kick which went just over and, two minutes after that, Convery glanced a header just that bit too high from eight yards.

And the visitors came close once again early in the second half when Julian Ward was forced to clear a McCutcheon corner off the line.

The deadlock was finally broken just two minutes short of the hour when Kennedy scored with a 20-yard drive after the Larne defence only half cleared the ball.

Larne might have levelled four minutes later, however, when Johnny Montgomery had a go from 30 yards which Kevin Pressman managed to turn over.