Larne F.C.

Larne

Full name	Larne Football Club
Founded	1889;135 years ago (1889)
Ground	Inver Park, Larne County Antrim
Capacity	3,000 [1]
Owner	Kenny Bruce [2]
Chairman	Gareth Clements
Manager	Nathan Rooney
League	NIFL Premiership
2023–24	NIFL Premiership, 1st of 12 (champions)
Website	https://www.larnefc.com/
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Larne Football Club is a professional Northern Irish football club based in Larne, County Antrim, that competes in the NIFL Premiership.

History

The club was founded in 1889 after Rev. Turner, Mr WN Brown and L. Jackson Holmes watched a game of football between Distillery and the Black Watch regiment of the army and thus took inspiration to create Larne FC on 14 October 1889.

The club in their early days would play against Ballyclare as well as the Fisherwick club in Doagh, when, amid the rise in football interest at the turn of the century, the club experienced relative success at a junior level, winning an IFA Junior Cup in 1901, as well as winning an Intermediate Cup and a Steel & Sons Cup prior to the outbreak of the First World War.

Larne would enter senior football for the first time in 1923, reaching two Irish Cup finals in the 1920s and 30s, before dropping out of senior football as a consequence of World War Two.

The following decades would see a relative amount of success for the club, with a first ever senior trophy win in the Ulster Cup in 1950, as well as a dominant period in Intermediate football over the next 20 years, winning a great deal of silverware.

As a result of the departure of Derry City from Irish League football in 1972, Larne would thus take the place of the Candystripes in senior football, with numerous relatively successful Irish Cup runs however the Invermen would never make it as far as the final.

Following the appointment of Paul Malone as player/manager in 1984, the club would have quite a strong decade that spilled into the early 90s, with several respectable league finishes and another Ulster Cup win in 1987.

The club would slip into decline from the early 90s, Malone would depart in 1991, with Larne being relegated to the old first division in 1995 with the next 8 years seeing a period of regular financial trouble and struggle to compete for promotion.

Tommy Kincaids appointment in 2001 saw a small revival for the club, achieving promotion in 2003 before Jimmy McGeough taking over in 2004. In this period the club would be defeated in the League Cup and Irish Cup finals to Cliftonville and Portadown respectively.

From 1972 until 2008, the club had senior status, but reverted to intermediate status when it failed to gain a place in the new IFA Premiership. The club regained this senior status in 2016, when the NIFL Championship became the second tier of senior football for the 2016–17 season. ^[3]

Larne have notably been runners-up of the Irish Cup on six occasions (1928, 1935, 1987, 1989, 2005 and 2021) and runners-up of the League Cup twice (1991–92 and 2003–04) without ever winning either Cup - a record in both respective competitions for the most final appearances without ever winning. ^{[4] [5]}

Kenny Bruce investment era (2018–present)

The club in 2018 was taken over by Purplebricks co-founder Kenny Bruce, when the club sat bottom of the NIFL Championship with relegation to the third tier looking likely, the club had been locked out of their stadium on health and safety grounds, and were experiencing financial difficulty, with the prospect of administration looming. Bruce set out the aim to bring eventual European success to Larne through investment in the playing staff and facilities. ^[6]

The club in January 2018 would cause significant shock in Irish League circles when Waterford United striker David McDaid opted to sign for the NIFL Championship club amid heavy interest from Premiership side Linfield. ^[7]

The club lifted the 2018–19 NIFL Championship title, comfortably finishing ahead of second-placed rivals Carrick Rangers by 17 points. This was the club's first ever senior tier league title, their first league title since an intermediate title win in 1972, and the first senior honour since lifting the Ulster Cup in 1988. This secured a return to the top flight for the first time since suffering relegation to the second tier in the 2007–08 season after failing to meet the criteria for the new IFA Premiership.

As was expected, Larne would compete in the top half of the NIFL Premiership immediately after achieving promotion, and in their first season in European competition in 2021, Larne would secure one of the biggest European wins for a Northern Irish club, knocking out Danish side Aarhus Gymnastikforening over two legs with a 2–1 win in Larne, and a draw in the away leg to set up a tie with Futebol Clube Paços de Ferreira. ^[8] after a 4–0 defeat in Portugal, Larne would take a famous 1–0 win at Inver Park in the return leg. ^[9]

In their fourth season back in the top flight, The Inver Reds won an historic first NIFL Premiership title in 2023 following a 2–0 win over Crusaders in April 2023. ^[10] Larne were part of an intense title race with Linfield.

As a result of their title victory, the club would make their first ever appearance in the qualifiers for the UEFA Champions League in the summer of 2023, taking on Finnish giants HJK Helsinki. ^[11] After a 1–0 loss in Helsinki, the Inver Reds would take the tie to extra time in Belfast, with the game ending 2–2. Larne lost 3–2 on aggregate.

Larne has won four County Antrim Shields in a row, from the 2020–21 to 2023–24 seasons. They are the only team other than Linfield to achieve this feat.

Currently, the captain of the club and their longest serving player is Tomas Cosgrove. He is known as a right back but has also been deployed in midfield by Tiernan Lynch. Cosgrove is one of many Larne players including Levi Ives and Aaron Donnelly who previously played for Cliftonville.

The 2023–24 season saw Larne go up against Cliftonville and Linfield for the title. Cliftonville fell short and finished third, while Larne edged out Linfield to claim the title for a second consecutive time. ^[12]

In the 2024–25 season, Larne would defeat Ballkani on penalties and Lincoln Red Imps to reach the league stage of the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League, becoming the first side from Northern Ireland to do so in the current era of UEFA competition, with Ards competing in the group stages of the old Intertoto Cup in 1997. ^{[13] [14]}

Larne would struggle in the early games of the UEFA Conference League, suffering a 3-0 defeat away to Molde, and a 4-1 defeat at home to Shamrock Rovers, the latter of which was viewed as a disappointing result, as many expected Larne to compete to a better standard with the Dublin side. ^[15] Larne would lose narrowly 2-1 to Swiss side St Gallen, in what was a commendable performance against much superior opposition for the Inver Reds. ^[16]

Larne women's team

Larne also have a women's team who were originally formed in November 2004, before being reincorporated back into the club in 2018, having been previously dormant for a number of years. In their inaugural season, they finished the season as the unbeaten North 2 League Champions, and also as beaten finalists in the North 2 League Cup. They now for the first time play in the top tier in 2023 (NIFL Women's Irish Premiership) of the Northern Ireland Women's football league system after 4 consecutive promotions. ^[17]

Current squad

As of 28 August 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   SCO Rohan Ferguson 2 DF   SCO Shaun Want 3 DF   NIR Levi Ives 4 DF   NIR Aaron Donnelly 6 MF   SCO Joe Thomson 7 FW   NIR Conor McKendry 8 MF   ENG Mark Randall 9 FW   NIR Paul O’Neill 11 MF   NIR Sean Graham 14 FW   NIR Benji Magee 15 MF   ENG George Marsh

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 MF   IRL Jordan McEneff 18 DF   IRL Cian Bolger (captain) 19 DF   IRL Ryan Nolan 20 DF   IRL Sam Todd(on loan from Derry City) 21 MF   NIR Leroy Millar(vice-captain) 23 DF   NIR Tomás Cosgrove 25 MF   NIR Dylan Sloan 27 MF   NIR Christopher Gallagher 29 FW   SCO Andy Ryan 30 FW   NIR Matthew Lusty 31 GK   ENG Joe Besant 36 GK   NIR Dylan Graham

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 5 DF   ENG Barış Altıntop(On loan at Portadown until 1st January 2025) 24 DF   NIR Sean Brown(On loan at Ballymena United until 1st January 2025) 34 MF   NIR Oisin Devlin(On loan at Ballymena United until 1st July 2025) — MF   NIR Caolan Donnelly(On loan at Ballyclare Comrades until 1 January 2025)

Non-playing staff

Position	Staff
Manager	Nathan Rooney
Assistant manager	Gary Haveron
Goalkeeping coach	Alan Blayney
Head of Physical Development	Glenn Wilkinson
Head of Performance Analysis	Rory Scott
Kit Manager	Martin Bird
Club doctor	Adam McClintock
Stadium & Scoreboard PA Manager	Lewis McAdam
Chief Executive Officer	Niall Curneen
Marketing Manager	Dean Houston
Chief Marketing Officer	Chris Liddle
Stadium PA Announcer	Joel Neill
Women's Team Media Officer	Kyle McClure
Chairman	Gareth Clements
General Manager	Shay Kennedy

European record

Main article: Northern Irish football clubs in European competitions

Overview

Competition	Matches	W	D	L	GF	GA
UEFA Champions League	4	0	1	3	2	10
UEFA Europa Conference League	15	7	2	6	13	20
TOTAL	19	7	3	9	15	30

Matches

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Agg.
2021–22	UEFA Europa Conference League	1QR	Bala Town	1–0	1–0	2–0
		2QR	AGF Aarhus	2–1	1–1	3–2
		3QR	Paços de Ferreira	1–0	0–4	1–4
2022–23	UEFA Europa Conference League	1QR	St Joseph's	0–1	0–0	0–1
2023–24	UEFA Champions League	1QR	HJK	2–2 ( a.e.t. )	0–1	2–3
	UEFA Europa Conference League	2QR	Ballkani	1–4	0–3	1–7
2024–25	UEFA Champions League	1QR	RFS	0–4	0–3	0−7
	UEFA Conference League	3QR	Ballkani	0–1	1–0	1–1 (4–1 p)
		PO	Lincoln Red Imps	3–1	1–2	4–3
		League phase	Molde	—	0–3
			Shamrock Rovers	1–4	—
			St. Gallen	1–2	—
			Olimpija Ljubljana	—
			Dinamo Minsk	—
			Gent		—

UEFA ranking

As of 5 July 2024 ^[18]

Rank	Team	Points
283	Crusaders	4.500
283	Gabala	4.500
285	Larne	4.500
286	Progrès Niederkorn	4.500
287	La Fiorita	4.500

Honours

Senior honours

• NIFL Premiership: 2
  • 2022–23, 2023–24
• County Antrim Shield: 4
  • 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 ^[19]
• NIFL Championship: 1
  • 2018–19
• Ulster Cup: 2
  • 1949–50, 1987–88 ^[20]
• NIFL Charity Shield: 1
  • 2024

Intermediate honours

• Irish League B Division: 10
  • 1954–55, 1956–57, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72
• Irish Intermediate League: 1
  • 1952–53
• Irish Intermediate Cup: 3
  • 1942–43†, 1958–59, 1969–70
• George Wilson Cup: 6
  • 1958–59, 1959–60, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1977–78†, 1978–79†
• Steel & Sons Cup: 11
  • 1909–10, 1941–42†, 1942–43†, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72
• Louis Moore Cup: 2
  • 1956–57 (shared with Banbridge Town), 1958–59
• McElroy Cup: 1
  • 1948–49

† Won by Larne Olympic (reserve team)

Junior honours

• Irish Junior Cup: 1
  • 1900–01

References

1. "NIFL Premiership Football Grounds In Northern Ireland". footballgroundmap.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
2. "Larne FC owner Kenny Bruce lobbied Stormont parties to back embattled Mid and East Antrim council boss after NI Protocol letter row". Belfast Live. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
3. "Larne FC History". Larne FC Website. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
4. "Northern Ireland - List of League Cup Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . RSSSF . Retrieved 24 December 2012.
5. "Northern Ireland Cup Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . RSSSF . Retrieved 24 December 2012.
6. Purplebricks co-founder wants to bring 'Champions League music' to Larne BBC Sport. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
7. "McDaid: Why I chose Larne over Linfield". Belfast Newsletter. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
8. "Larne beat AGF Aarhus as magical European run continues". Belfast Live. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
9. "Larne complete European campaign with brilliant win over Pacos De Ferreira". Belfast Live. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
10. "Larne secure historic first Irish League title with 2–0 win at Crusaders". BBC Sport. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
11. "Honours Even as Gibson Cup Arrives at Inver". Larne FC Website. 22 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
12. "Back-to-back titles wonderful achievement - Lynch". BBC Sport. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
13. "Ryan the hattrick hero as Larne make it". NIFL Website. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
14. "From the second tier to history - Larne's rise to Europe". BBC Sport. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
15. "UEFA Conference League: Shamrock Rovers comfortably win at Windsor". BBC Sport. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
16. "Irish League:St Gallen defeat was Larnes best showing yet. We will build on it. Levi Ives". Belfast Telegraph. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
17. "Womens Team History". Larne FC Website. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
18. UEFA.com. "Member associations – UEFA Coefficients – Club coefficients". Archived from the original on 13 January 2013.
19. "Co Antrim Shield: Impressive Larne see off Linfield in gripping final to retain trophy". BBC Sport . BBC. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
20. Brodie, Malcolm. Belfast Telegraph Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 1999/2000. p. 11

External links

• Official website