Mark Randall says the Larne players are united behind new head coach Gary Haveron and their commitment to the cause hasn’t been impacted by some off field upheaval.
A few weeks ago, the former Arsenal midfielder expressed his belief that new manager Nathan Rooney was the man to re-energise Larne’s title bid.
But events can escalate quickly in football and roles at the club have changed following an enforced restructure.
The former Bruno’s Magpies manager doesn’t possess the qualification needed to manage the side at this stage of the Uefa Conference League.
With Rooney now handed the role of head of football at Inver Park, former Glentoran manager Haveron’s first game as official head coach will be Larne’s final Conference League game against Gent at Windsor Park on Thursday night.
Englishman Rooney, brought in to replace Tiernan Lynch who jumped ship for Derry City, officially managed just two games for the club, a 1-1 Irish Premiership draw against Cliftonville at Inver Park and a 5-0 BetMcLean Cup success against Annagh United.
Rooney has watched on from the stands in Europe and now he can’t be the main man in the dugout.
With his primary focus on Belgian side Gent and resurrecting a struggling title defence, Randall has enough on his mind.
Addressing the managerial reshuffle ahead of their final European test this year, the 35-year-old backed former Carrick Rangers boss Haveron to shine in the role, with the firm backing of the players.
“It’s been a normal time for us, we are footballers and just want to play football,” reflected Randall.
“Gary is a brilliant manager and we get on with it, there has been no disruption and there’s no problem for us.
“We are just here as players to perform, Gary is the manager and we will give him 100 per cent on Thursday night and for the rest of the season — it is what it is.”
Mark Randall and Larne face Gent at Windsor Park
Haveron took charge of Larne’s Conference League defeats by Olimpija and Dinamo Minsk, with the back-to-back Premiership champions still searching for their first point.
It’s now five defeats down and one game to go for Larne in the Uefa Conference League group stage.
The mood has darkened since Lynch’s side beat Kosovan side Ballkani on penalties in the third qualifying round, then recorded a 4-3 aggregate win over Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar to become the first side from Northern Ireland to reach this stage.
Randall’s European journey extends further back as he made his Champions League group stage debut for Arsenal in December 2008.
On December 10, 2008, he appeared in the Champions League group stages for the very first time.
The midfielder — 19-years-old at the time — replaced Alex Song for the final 11 minutes of Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Porto.
As it turned out, it was the only game he played at that level — in fact, it was the fourth to last game the midfielder ever played for the club before leaving for Chesterfield in the summer of 2011 after a decade in north London.
Now, after helping Larne to make European history, he accepts that the Uefa Conference League group stage has been a daunting mission for his side.
“It has been a massive learning period for the club, a brilliant experience for everyone and you learn a lot more from defeats,” Randall added.
“Hopefully, as a group, we have learned a lot after this campaign.
“It is a different level than what we are used to. You think you can go toe to toe with some teams but maybe we got it wrong sometimes.
“Against Shamrock Rovers we thought we could have a go but if you make mistakes, you will be punished badly. The level is very good.
“It’s a totally different style of play out of possession. As a group, we have learned a lot to be comfortable out of possession. The levels of professionalism and athleticism is a different level.”
After losing away to Molde (Norway) and Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia) and at home to Shamrock Rovers and St Gallen (Switzerland), Larne entered the contest against Dinamo Minsk thinking it might be their best chance to secure a point but they came up short.
Technical director Andy Mitchell has also left the club to become a first team coach at Derry City.
On and off the pitch, Larne are weathering storms but Randall is dreaming of a big finish to their European odyssey.
“We can go out and try to play with freedom, we have to enjoy it as much as we can and what will be will be,” he added.
“You always want to finish on a high note so hopefully we can enjoy the game and give a good account of ourselves.
“As a footballer you always want to play at as high a level as possible and perform at your best.
“Once we get this game out of the way, we can try to kick on in the League.
“Our focus is purely on tomorrow night and then we can look forward to the League games.”