Larne’s Champions League preparation will conclude with this evening’s Charity Shield showdown against Cliftonville and Tiernan Lynch knows his side will have to keep a familiar face quiet if they’re to achieve the desired result.

Ronan Hale, who scored twice in last season’s Irish Cup final as the Reds defeated Linfield to celebrate competition glory for the first time in 45 years, spent two successful campaigns with Larne after returning to the Irish League from St Patrick’s Athletic, netting 37 goals across 86 appearances, including four in a play-off final victory over Glentoran as Lynch’s men qualified for Europe in 2022.

The 25-year-old has generated significant interest from across the water – Derby County, Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers, Blackpool, Peterborough, Wrexham and teams from Scotland have all been linked with potential moves – after scoring 22 goals in 32 outings throughout 2023/24 following his recovery from a pre-season knee injury.

He will once again be a significant threat for Jim Magilton’s side in tonight’s encounter, which is the final match before Larne travel to Latvia for their Champions League first round, first leg against RFS on Wednesday, and Lynch feels Hale is one of many Irish League talents that could thrive at a higher level.

placeholder image — Pictured at the launch of the new NIFL Charity Partnership: Aaron Donnelly (Larne) , Gerard Lawlor (NIFL), Jonny Smyth (Action Mental Health) and Ronan Hale (Cliftonville). PIC: William Cherry/Presseye.

"Ronan is a really talented kid, naturally talented...when Ronan was with ourselves his ability was there for all to see and his goalscoring knack was there for all to see,” he said. “At the time, Ronan wasn't getting the game time he wanted and felt he deserved - I think he has went and proved that if he's given time on the pitch that he will score goals, and important goals, which he did for us and Cliftonville in the semi-final and final.

"There's no doubt in my mind if Ronan went across to Scotland or England, if given the opportunity to play and get minutes under his belt, I think he would do the exact same thing. I do think there are other players in the league that would do the same."

Larne and Cliftonville met five times across competitions last season with the former winning on three occasions, including an 8-1 Premiership victory just 11 days after losing out in the Irish Cup semi-finals.

Both teams have played two pre-season friendlies to date, but Lynch admits a competitive fixture will help the pair ahead of their respective European adventures.

"Great credit to the league and both clubs for doing this going into Europe,” he added. “We all know how difficult it is to get competitive fixtures pre-European campaigns and there's always going to be that bit of rivalry between the clubs, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.

"It'll have more spice than playing Bala Town or anybody else."