'He was true to his word' - Former Irish League striker reflects on first meeting with Kenny Bruce and his Larne success

Stewart joined Larne in January 2018, only a matter of months after Bruce had taken over and with the club still in the Championship, but he knew they wouldn’t be there for long.

It was quite a coup for the Inver Reds considering Stewart had previously won two Irish League titles at Linfield, a League of Ireland crown at Shamrock Rovers and played against Italian giants Juventus on the European stage.

Bruce’s long-term vision of turning Larne into one of the Irish League’s leading forces was key in attracting talent like Stewart, who joined in the same window as Davy McDaid – a striker who had attracted interest from Linfield.

Fast forward just over seven years later and Larne have celebrated back-to-back Premiership triumphs and created history by qualifying for the Conference League last season, fulfilling the ultimate promise made by Bruce.

This week marked the end of an era at Larne with Bruce selling his 50% stake to Redball Global FC and Stewart reflects fondly on being part of an exciting project at the early stage.

"When I had the initial conversation with Kenny and the staff, they made their plans very transparent and made me feel part of the project straight away before I even signed,” said Stewart. “After those talks I wanted to be part of something exciting and have the chance to win trophies.

"You want to be part of history, it was unique and it was an easy decision for me because I'd won the Irish League, League of Ireland, done well in America and been around a few different places. It felt like the right moment and it wasn't a hard decision.

"I truly believed everything he was saying and he was true to his word. I'm glad I was part of it when it was starting up."

Bruce not only invested in Larne’s squad, but also the wider infrastructure and community, transforming their Inver Park home alongside creating a new Academy of Sport and scholarship programme which has helped develop the likes of Matty Lusty and Dylan Sloan.

Further investment into the Irish League followed after Bruce with Ali Pour taking over at Glentoran while Coleraine are now benefitting from the finances provided by Henry Ross and Cliftonville are set to get new owners in the Toronto Investment Group.

It has changed the Irish League’s landscape and Stewart feels Bruce did it the correct way, building from the bottom up to create lasting success.

"When you had someone coming in like Kenny, you felt we were going to achieve something special,” he added. “He wasn't just there for the short-term - I knew he genuinely cared about the people and the town.

"Anybody talking about those sorts of plans is obviously very serious and wants to be successful.

"You have to have solid foundations and build the culture with that. It's all about people.

"There's always talk about players and signing star quality, but it's getting the right people through the door and that's why the club is successful.

"Not just the club, but the town is booming too and that's because of Kenny and the football. He has been very colourful, he always speaks so well and he always backs Larne to do well.

"Other teams have to react and they can't stand still. I do think other teams have invested wisely, got full-time programmes and understand the importance of what Kenny has done.

“He has turned it into a complete business - players have been sold and gone across the water.

"It's not just about being competitive in fighting against Linfield and Glentoran, it's developing players and producing talent.

"He had this all-round focus and vision for the club and it has been a great success. Other teams now have belief they can emulate that and truly believe they can get into Europe."

Larne proved to be the final chapter of Stewart’s successful playing career, leaving in 2019, and has since moved into coaching, taking over at Swedish side Ytterhogdals IK before stepping into an assistant role at second-tier Sandvikens.

The 38-year-old still stays in contact with Bruce and says he learned important lessons from him during his time with Larne.

"He's still somebody I would speak to to this day,” he said. “The last time I caught up with him was at the Gent match at Windsor...it was lovely to see him.

"I have huge admiration for him and there's respect there. I have a lot of time for him and he's just very honest with what he says.

"He sets goals and goes after them to achieve them. It stuck with me how hard-working he is. He has put in a lot of money which people talk about, but he works so hard and this success hasn't just come because of money."