Profiled: Bala’s UEFA Europa Conference League opponents Larne

All the preparation is done for Bala Town as they now look ahead to their UEFA Europa Conference League fixtures against Larne of Northern Ireland.

With less than a week to go until the first leg tie at Park Hall, we take a look at their UECL opponents.

Larne F.C. are situated on the east coast of County Antrim in Northern Ireland in the town of Larne which has a population of approx. 18,000 people. Famous for its passenger and freight port, the coastal town is around 19 miles north of the capital Belfast and only 25 miles from the Scottish mainland.

Larne itself is the home of the Ballylumford power station which is Northern Ireland’s main power station, providing half of all Northern Ireland’s electricity as well as the Headquarters of Caterpillar who manufactures diesel and gas generators.

History

Founded in 1889, Larne are quite the new boys on the block when it comes to the Irish Premiership as they gained promotion to the top flight in 2019. Playing under senior status from 1972 until 2008, they regained senior status in 2016 as the NIFL Championship became the second tier of senior football in 2016. Winning only their second ever league title it has been full steam ahead since, as they have finished sixth and fourth respectively in their two seasons in the top flight, gaining European football this season for the first time in their history.

Runners-up of the Irish Cup on six occasions and twice in the League Cup, they hold the record in both competitions for the most final appearances without ever winning.

Stadium

Inver Park is the home of Larne since 1918 with a capacity of 2,500. Inver or Inbhear in Gaelic meaning “river mouth” is a stone’s throw from the port and is currently undergoing construction work to add a 600 seater stand behind the goal which is almost complete. In 2010, the club agreed to a deal to rebuild a stadium on the same footprint to meet the Irish League’s licence criteria to play in the Premiership with new floodlights, a new stand, and an artificial 3G surface installed in recent years.

Manager

Tiernan Lynch was appointed manager of Larne in May 2017. A UEFA Pro Licence holder he was previously Assistant Manager at Glentoran where he has already experienced life in the Europa League before a move to Inver Park. A former player himself, he played over in the USA for Long Island Rough Riders and Long Island University before representing Ards Rangers, Carrick Rangers, and Cliftonville. Lynch has also implemented the transition to full-time football for Larne.

Owner

Kenny Bruce who is the co-founder of worldwide estate agency Purple Bricks is the owner of Larne. Hailing from Larne himself, Bruce is a highly successful businessman who was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for 2020 for his service to charity and community in the town of Larne and the wider area. There’s no doubt with his investment and ambition in tandem with the work of manager Tiernan Lynch, that Larne are a Club on the up in Irish football.

Three Players to Watch

David McDaid: 30-year-old McDaid brings a wealth of experience to the Larne forward line. Spells at Derry City, Sligo Rovers, Finn Harps, Coleraine, Cliftonville, Waterford and Larne in the LOI and NIFL Premiership has seen him make over 300 starts and net a prolific goalscoring tally of 123 goals since 2008. Joining Larne whilst at the bottom of the Championship, he scored 15 goals last season including in the Playoff Semi Final v Glentoran and two goals in the Final to send Larne into the Europa Conference League. He has an eye for goal and is likely to be a handful for the Lakesiders defence.

Martin Donnelly: Belfast born Donnelly came through the ranks of Sheffield United and has represented Northern Ireland from Under 17 level up to the National men’s side. In nine years between Crusaders, Cliftonville and Larne the left-winger has accumulated almost 400 starts including winning the NIFL title twice and the Irish League Cup four times. Named in the League’s Team of the Year, he had an excellent year at Larne and will be eager to cause problems on Thursday.

Jeff Hughes: Another player that has a Football League pedigree is their captain Jeff Hughes. In his second spell at Larne (where he began his career) Hughes has spent a number of years in England playing for Lincoln City, Crystal Palace, Bristol Rovers, Notts County, Fleetwood, and Tranmere Rovers before returning to Larne in 2018. A midfielder who has also featured for Northern Ireland at an international level, Bala will need to be wary of his experience and how crucial he is for the Irish outfit.

Road to Europe

The NIFL Premiership follows a very similar format to the JD Cymru Premier with the teams in 3^rd-7^th playing in a series of play-offs for the final European place. With Larne finishing in 4^th and taking on Glenavon in the Playoff Semi Final. A 93rd-minute winner by David McDaid saw them progress to face Cliftonville on June 5th. With the home advantage of Inver Park and a crowd of 400 behind them, it was a 3-1 win for the hosts with a brace from the influential McDaid and a goal by Lee Lynch to book Larne’s spot in the UECL for the first time in their history.

European Preparation

As the Irish Premiership was the final league in Europe to finish (June 5^th), Larne hasn’t had much time to rest ahead of their European adventure. After a fortnight break, they have played two friendlies to date – the first a 1-2 loss against Coleraine and a 2-2 draw against Kilmarnock on Saturday afternoon.

Three signings have come in the form of Kofi Balmer, a defender from Ballymena United, goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson from Linfield, and another goalkeeper Mike Argyrides from Dundela.

Larne flies over to the UK on Wednesday and will train at Park Hall that evening ahead of Thursday’s tie.

Match Officials

Mohammed Al-emara (FIN), Jukka Honkanen (FIN), Turkka Joonas Valjakka (FIN), Petri Viljanen (FIN)

(Featured Image: Albert Bridge)