Gary Haveron 'can't say enough good things' about Larne star as unbeaten Premiership run continues
Gary Haveron feels Matty Lusty is “a great example of resilience” after bouncing back from a tough time to establish himself in Larne’s squad once again.
The 22-year-old striker suffered a broken collarbone during an impressive loan spell at Dungannon Swifts and then missed a large portion of last season through an illness which was ultimately diagnosed as reactive arthritis.
Lusty opened the scoring in Saturday’s 2-0 Premiership win over Carrick Rangers, marking his third league goal of the season and second in as many matches.
He was a popular weekend goalscorer at Inver Park, slamming home from close range after being fed by teenager James Simpson, and Haveron praised the manner in which Lusty has dealt with his numerous setbacks.
"We love Matty, we absolutely love him at this football club,” he said. "He came here as a 16-year-old...you see the young man that he's grown into, the confidence that he carries himself with.
"Matty's had an unbelievable amount of setbacks in terms of ankle injuries, he broke a collarbone, he had a really bad illness last year where he missed most of the season.
"But what he's always done is react in the right way, in the most positive way, and he's a great example for any kid of resilience.
"When he has had these setbacks, he's used the time really productively. He's got himself bigger, he's developed into a different kind of specimen, I suppose, physically.
"So he's actually used the time really, really productively. He's not felt sorry for himself.
"He says ‘I'm going to make myself better, I'm going to come back stronger’ and each time that he's had a setback, he's come back more robust and more stronger for it. He's a kid that I can't say enough good things about.”
Haveron’s unbeaten reign as Larne’s interim chief extended to a seventh league match on Saturday with their triumph over rivals Carrick a sixth straight victory and clean sheet.
A mean defensive record has provided the backbone for the Co Antrim club’s recent success, which included back-to-back Gibson Cup crowns, and Haveron admits it’s a particularly pleasing aspect of their current run.
"I love clean sheets, I absolutely love them!" he added. “I think a clean sheet is the sign of a team that's fighting for each other, playing for each other, and it's a really good sign when you get so many of them in a row.
"It doesn't just come from the defenders and the goalkeeper, who have been brilliant, by the way, absolutely brilliant, it comes from each and every one of them, from the strikers all the way throughout the team and the ones that come off the bench.
"Everybody has to contribute towards a clean sheet, so that really pleases me from that perspective.
"It was nice to get a goal in each half as well because it gave us the cushion that we wanted to have in the game.
"We knew we had to break them down, because we knew how stubborn and how determined they would be to try and nullify us.
"So to get the goal early meant that we weren't chasing the game, but when we got the second goal, that really killed it and I could sort of relax and enjoy the last 10 minutes or so.”