Haveron Declares Larne’s European Win Against Gent Was Deserved, “No Smash and Grab”

Larne’s head coach, Gary Haveron, asserted that his team’s significant 1-0 triumph against Gent in the Uefa Conference League was well-earned. He emphasized that the hard-fought victory over their Belgian adversaries at Windsor Park was “no smash and grab”. The Irish Premiership champions secured their initial victory and points in their debut participation in the competition’s league stages, thanks to Tomas Cosgrove’s second-half goal. This achievement marked another notable milestone for an Irish League team, especially after the east Antrim club had suffered defeats in their preceding five European fixtures. Speaking to BBC Sport NI, Haveron stated, “What a performance and what an effort from our boys tonight. We were determined to bow out of this competition with our heads held high and I think we have done that and then some. I couldn’t be prouder of them.” He further elaborated, “This is no smash and grab, we created chances throughout the game and missed big chances in the game and I thought not taking them might come back to cost us, but no better man than Tomas Cosgrove to arrive at the back post.” Haveron added, “That after he signed a contract extension, I’m so delighted for him and it’s a great way to bow out of this competition and we need to use it as a springboard for the rest of the season.” Haveron’s appointment as Larne’s head coach occurred only last weekend, following Nathan Rooney’s transition to head of football due to his lack of the necessary Uefa Pro Licence for European competitions. Haveron, who manages his hometown club, commented, “What a start, where do I go from here? It’s incredible, it means so much and I’m so proud for the people. It’s a special night and I hope we can have many more like this.” He reflected, “Steadily but surely, we have grown into this competition, the Shamrock [Rovers] game [a 4-1 home defeat] was something that hurt us, we didn’t represent the league as best we could.” Haveron concluded this thought by saying, “We wanted to come back fighting and we wanted to generate momentum. There is no better way to get momentum than beating a European powerhouse.” Larne’s attention will now shift to domestic competitions, where they intend to recover from an inconsistent start to their league campaign and pursue a third consecutive Premiership title. Currently, they are 22 points behind leaders Linfield, though they hold six games in hand over their competitors before the upcoming weekend’s fixtures. Additionally, they have reached the semi-finals of the BetMcLean Cup and the final of the County Antrim Shield. Haveron stated, “It’s up to me and the management team to get this level of performance week in, week out. There is no point doing this now in a big game like this with all the razzmatazz that comes with the Conference League, so we need to use it as a springboard.” He further expressed, “We want to be back at this level and we want to compete at this level and take the learnings we had this year on to next year.”