Larne Beats Gent 1-0 in Historic UEFA Conference League Win

Larne head coach Gary Haveron hailed his team’s historic 1-0 victory over Gent in the UEFA Conference League, emphasizing that the team fully deserved the win and did not rely on a “smash and grab.” Tomas Cosgrove’s second-half goal secured Larne’s first points in the group stages of the competition marking a significant milestone for the Irish Premiership champions. Despite their previous five European losses, the victory represented a momentous achievement for the club and for Irish League football.

Haveron expressed immense pride in his players’ effort, telling BBC Sport NI, “We were determined to bow out of this competition with our heads held high, and I think we’ve done that.” He added that Larne created several chances throughout the match and believed they could have scored more. “No better man than Tomas Cosgrove to arrive at the back post,” he said, referring to the midfielder’s crucial goal. Haveron also celebrated Cosgrove’s contract extension, calling it a fitting way to cap off the competition.

Appointed head coach just last week, after Nathan Rooney shifted to head of football, Haveron felt elated by the victory and said it meant a lot to the people of Larne. Reflecting on the team’s journey in the competition, he said they steadily improved, citing the previous 4-1 loss to Shamrock Rovers as a painful learning experience. Now, Larne will focus on domestic matters aiming to recover from an inconsistent start to the league season as they pursue a third consecutive Premiership title.

With six games in hand, they trail Linfield by 22 points and also prepare for the BetMcLean Cup semi-finals and County Antrim Shield final. Haveron stressed the need to maintain high performance week in, week out and to use their European success as momentum for the rest of the season.