Larne striker Matty Lusty believes their historic European exploits of last season should not only give the Inver Reds extra confidence this summer, but also other Irish League clubs looking to replicate the success.

Having won consecutive Gibson Cup crowns, Larne then became the first Irish League side to qualify for League Phase football, banking over £3million in the process.

Lusty played an important role as Tiernan Lynch’s men progressed onto the main stage, scoring the winner in their away 1-0 third round triumph over Ballkani before netting again on the road against Lincoln Red Imps.

He featured in all six League Phase fixtures, including starting in December’s famous win over Belgian outfit KAA Gent, and will be hoping to play his part again this summer having recently returned to action after a six-month lay-off due to arthritis.

placeholder image — Tomas Cosgrove celebrates after scoring the winner in Larne's historic victory over KAA Gent. (Photo by Andrew McCarroll/Pacemaker Press)

Larne are back in European action on Thursday as they face FK Auda at the Ballymena Showgrounds in their Conference League first qualifying round opener before travelling to Latvia next week.

Cliftonville began their campaign with a 2-2 draw against St Joseph’s in Gibraltar while Linfield face League of Ireland outfit Shelbourne and Dungannon Swifts will take on Vaduz later this month.

"I loved it,” Lusty reflected on last season’s European adventure. “Even over the past few seasons when I've been involved I've really enjoyed playing in Europe and it's something different from the Irish League.

"You get different styles of play and players to play against. When you do well it's even better.

"We're really excited about it. We know what we're up against and having played against a Latvian team last season in RFS we know they'll be good.

"It will be tough but the main thing about European games is probably belief in your own ability. If you go out scared you'll never get a result and that's what we did really well last year.

"There were maybe some games where we let ourselves down, like the Shamrock Rovers game, but apart from that I think we did really well in Europe, especially in the League Phase. We have to take confidence from that going into this tie.

"I think it should give other Irish League clubs confidence and it shows where the league is at the minute. We did so well in Europe and it would be great to see a couple of teams maybe get in some year...that would really help the league."

Lusty enjoyed a successful loan spell at Dungannon during the 2023/24 campaign, scoring nine Premiership goals before suffering a broken collarbone in December while earning his side a penalty against Glentoran.

It was that temporary stint which helped Lusty establish himself at Larne and he has been impressed by Dungannon’s form under Rodney McAree with the Swifts celebrating Irish Cup glory last season.

"I'm really happy for them,” he added. “I really enjoyed my time there and all the staff were brilliant with me.

"I always wish them the best and it was great to see someone different doing so well. When you have players who suit the style of play they have, you're going to get good results. I think everyone at Dungannon really enjoys themselves and that plays a big part in it."