Larne manager Tiernan Lynch confident maiden UEFA Conference League experience will 'stand by' players for rest of campaign
Larne manager Tiernan Lynch believes the experience of making Irish League history by becoming the first side to compete in the UEFA Conference League will “stand by” his players after their competition debut ended with a 3-0 defeat to Molde.
The reigning Premiership champions showed resilience and character to keep their Norwegian opponents, who had scored 17 times in five league matches prior to the European clash, at bay up until half-time but goals from former Manchester United midfielder Magnus Wolff Eikrem, Ola Brynhildsen and Frederik Ihler after the break ensured Larne wouldn’t mark the momentous occasion with victory.
Lynch’s men were in uncharted waters with the Aker Stadion clash their first of six Conference League matches to come over the next 11 weeks and the Inver Reds chief feels his players will be better for the experience.
"We lacked a little belief in possession,” he told BBC Sport NI. “We probably should have been a little braver.
"That'll stand by them. They now have the monkey off the back as the saying goes and I think they'll be a wee bit more confident going into the next game."
Molde’s squad was packed full of international quality – goalscorers Eikrem and Brynhildsen have both been capped by Norway, as has Martin Linnes and substitute Mats Møller Dæhli, who was previously on the books of Manchester United and recently returned from three years in Germany with FC Nürnberg.
That begins to paint the picture of the task with which Larne were faced and Lynch says it shows how far the club has come – only five years ago they were playing in the Championship before transforming into an Irish League force – that they matched their opponents for 45 minutes.
"That speaks volumes for them as a team and a group of players and probably where the club has came from and the level of where the league is now," he added. "They were better than us.
"The goals that we conceded were a kick in the teeth but we'll learn from that. I thought for long periods we did really well against a top side in Europe. At this level, if you make mistakes, you get punished."