When he first sat down with Kenny Bruce and Tiernan Lynch to discuss the prospect of joining Larne after returning home from Northampton Town in 2021, Cian Bolger’s immediate thought on their lofty ambitions for the club was “are they mad?” – but he’s enjoyed every step of making those dreams a reality.

Bolger’s acquisition three years ago was quite the coup for Larne with the centre-back spending the entirety of his playing career up to that point in England’s Football League, starring for the likes of Bristol Rovers, Southend United, Fleetwood Town and Lincoln City.

The 32-year-old made 180 League One appearances across spells with various clubs and has played a pivotal role in helping transform Larne into back-to-back Premiership champions, lifting the second of those Gibson Cup crowns as club captain.

Lynch’s men have also since taken a historic step onto the European stage by qualifying for the UEFA Conference League and are preparing for a showdown with Shamrock Rovers, who have won the League of Ireland title in each of the last four years and are currently battling for a fifth.

placeholder image — Cian Bolger lifts the Premiership title as Larne captain last season. (Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press)

That continental achievement completed owner Bruce’s dream vision for the Inver Park outfit and Bolger has loved the journey.

"Before I signed I sat down with Tiernan and Kenny and they outlined their vision here,” he said. “I sat there and thought 'are they mad?'

"They've backed it up and once you come into the building and see how they operate, you start to believe it then. It is something we are all very proud of.

"Shamrock Rovers have got a lot of experience in their team...they won't get too side-tracked (with their title bid). From the outside looking in, it's a very competitive league down there and it's still up for grabs.”

With the best of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland facing off at Windsor Park this evening, it has brought a familiar discussion point of an All-Ireland competition back to the fore.

The Setanta Sports Cup, which pitted teams from both countries against each other, was inaugurated in 2005 and ran until 2014 while the Champions Cup was staged in 2019 with Dundalk defeating Linfield over two legs, but hasn’t returned since with scheduling issues cited.

While many fans see this fixture as Irish League vs League of Ireland, Bolger believes it showcases the best of both.

"A lot of people are saying it's the battle of the leagues but I think it's a great celebration for both that we've got two teams to this level,” he added. "I think it's a great occasion that can be celebrated but we are going into the game to win and get them bragging rights.

"It is something both teams should be very proud of.

"I think there's certainly a topic for debate there (on All-Ireland Cup). There's people going on about whether an All-Ireland League could be good but there's certainly something that could be done to create eyes and get eyes on both sides of the border.

"There's great talent in both leagues so I think the more eyes and exposure you get on it, then ultimately everyone benefits.”