Larne’s European hero Andy Ryan is delighted that long-serving manager Tiernan Lynch will lead the club into battle on Thursday night after rejecting the chance to take over at St Johnstone.
Lynch was on the brink of joining the Scottish top flight club only for talks to collapse over the weekend.
Ryan, like his boss, is now fully focused on Thursday’s Conference League opener against Norwegian outfit Molde in the Aker Stadion.
Scottish striker Ryan – who bagged a hat-trick in last month’s Play-Off win over Lincoln Red Imps – said: “There’s been a wee bit of talk over the weekend, but credit to the boys, they went out on Friday night and got the job done against Cliftonville.
“Everyone at the club respects Tiernan as a manager but also as a person. His departure would have had an impact on the club, so I’m pleased he’s staying.
“The one big thing about the gaffer is you have to be not only the right player but you have to be the right person to gel in the changing room.
“He’s really built the right culture here and won’t sign anybody for the sake of it.
“It has to be the right person more than the right player. It’s really professional. That’s the thing I’ve been most impressed with since I’ve come over here”
Ryan is set to play as a lone forward in Norway, with Molde likely to dominate possession.
The former Hamilton Academical man believes he will need to be even more clinical in front of goal if Larne are to spring a massive surprise on Thursday night.
He said: “We’re playing against a well-established European team. It’s important that we go over there and try and compete and stick to our gameplan.
“We will need to pick and choose our moments. If a chance comes my way, it is important that I am clinical because you don’t get many chances at that level.”
Larne manager Lynch is yet to speak to the media since news of his potential move to St Johnstone broke last week, with his trusted first team coach Gary Haveron stepping into the breach.
Like Ryan, Haveron is pleased that Lynch opted to remain at Inver Park.
He said: “The gaffer’s here and he’s staying. Obviously the move didn’t suit him for whatever reason.
“I didn’t get into it with him, it was his decision to make and he had to decide what was the right thing for him to do.
“Only he will be able to tell you the ins and outs of it but I’m glad he didn’t take it.
“He’s a massive part of this football club, his DNA is in everything, from top to bottom of the football club so to build what he has already done is really, really important.
“I hope there are more opportunities in the future for him because it will mean we will have continued to be successful. If that’s the case, it’s a win-win for everybody.”
Thursday night’s game will be a particularly proud moment for Larne native Haveron. He believes that the club’s journey from the bottom of the NIFL Championship to the heights of the Conference League has changed his home town’s reputation.
He explained: “Larne was the punchline of a joke; the best thing about Larne was the boat out of it.
“It was a rundown town. I remember the time when FG Wilson looked like it was going to close down, so many people were out of work and so many shops were closing, it was dire.
“The football team was nothing to crow about, the people at the club were fighting just to keep it alive, scrabbling about trying to get money to put a team on the park.
“What Kenny Bruce and Tiernan Lynch have done here has given the town a real sense of pride.
“The football club has put Larne on the map for a really positive reason. You wear your Larne gear with your head up and shoulders back and a real sense of pride.
“For people to hold their heads high and say ‘I’m from Larne, go ahead, where’s your jokes now?’, there’s a real sense of pride and that’s important for everyone in the town.”
Not so long ago, Irish League clubs used European fixtures for some pre-season team-building. Now, it’s a professional business. Larne will fly out on a special charter plane that will leave Molde a few hours after the full-time whistle in the Aker Stadion.
Haveron mused that was a far cry from his experience with Coleraine some 20 years ago.
“Our boys now have more European experience than some Irish League legends,” he continued. “A John Devine, he would play in Europe more years than he didn’t but it was usually just two games – one home, one away.
“The away games were an opportunity to get the boys away for a beer and a glorified pre-season, I’ve been there myself.
“We went to FC Leiria with Coleraine (2003) and it was a hell of a good night. We got beat 5-0 but we had a good night.
“That was part of the mentality then, Irish League part-time teams against full-time European teams.
“We’re there to do a job on Thursday night, we’re in and out, straight back after the game so we’re there to do a job, we’re not there for a jolly up.”