Gary Haveron hopeful specialist visit 'will be the key that unlocks a massive player' for Larne as they chase Irish League success

Millar was named 2022/23 Premiership Player of the Year for his starring role in Larne’s first-ever Gibson Cup triumph and scored another 11 goals last term as they successfully defended their title, but had been out of action since April with a groin injury before returning in a BetMcLean Cup quarter-final victory over Annagh United in December.

The 29-year-old came off the bench to score in a 5-0 success, but hasn’t appeared again since, missing all six matches of the club’s historic UEFA Conference League campaign and was also absent as Haveron’s side crashed out of the Irish Cup last weekend.

They responded to that disappointment in fine style by beating Crusaders 3-1 at Seaview on Tuesday evening and will look to further close the 19-pont gap which league leaders Linfield have opened on them at this stage when facing Cliftonville on Friday.

Millar is undoubtedly one of the best players in the Irish League and Haveron admits he’s an influential presence for Larne.

"It has been an incredibly frustrating period for Leroy,” he said. “He has came back and looked unbelievable in training and then he has a bit of a setback to the injury he has had.

"He has had two surgeries since the summer and the latest one...he has shown signs of improvement then had a relapse.

"He has been to see a specialist in Dublin and we're hoping this will be the key that unlocks a massive player for our team.

"It's incredibly frustrating for Leroy, who looks after himself so well, loves his football - he absolutely lives and breathes football.

"It has been frustrating for him going into the gym everyday and when he does train he does it incredibly well.

"Not having him available for selection is incredibly frustrating but hopefully this latest specialist will get him back because he's such a massive player."

Due to Larne’s involvement in the Conference League, they’ve played five games fewer than title rivals Linfield while Haveron’s side are also still balancing commitments across competitions with a BetMcLean Cup semi-final and Co Antrim Shield showpiece decider coming up.

"We have to keep posting three points now to close that gap,” added Haveron. “We want to build momentum in the league but we go from this to a cup game on Tuesday, then back to the league, then the Co Antrim Shield final...ideally you'd like them all to be league games to close that gap as best we possibly can, but it is what it is.

"Sometimes you can be a victim of your own success. You find it a lot with clubs like (NAFL Amateur League side) Crumlin Star who have had so much success in cup competitions and you end up having mountains of league games to play in a short space of time.

"It's really important we stick together and fight for everything."