'Mixed emotions' for Larne boss Tiernan Lynch but remains confident Inver Reds making strides on European stage

​The Inver Reds made a dream start when Jordan McEneff’s cross was put into his own net by Abdoulaye Diaby after only four minutes, but former Bayern Munich midfielder Lukas Gortler equalised before a second-half sucker punch from French full-back Hugo Vandermersch, who finished off a sweeping counter 11 minutes from time.

It marked a third consecutive defeat for Larne after they created Irish League history by becoming the first team to qualify for the Conference League, but after a much-improved performance from their 4-1 defeat to Shamrock Rovers last month, Lynch feels his side are making important strides.

"We will take confidence from that,” he said. “It’s only our third game in the group stages and I hope we’re getting closer.

"I think that’s what we have to hope for and strive for that we’re getting that bit closer.

"It definitely did feel like we’re getting closer tonight. There’s no doubt that St Gallen are a top side – we knew that coming into the game – but we felt comfortable out of possession tonight and I don’t think they overly hurt us.

"I’ll have to watch the game back, but it didn’t feel like we were holding on or I was biting my fingernails, I thought we were comfortable and dealt with the set-pieces well.

"We could have been a bit more clinical, but it’s pleasing.”

Reflecting further on the match, Lynch added: “It’s a night of mixed emotions.

"I’m hugely proud of the players for the effort they put in.

"We let ourselves down against Shamrock Rovers and it wasn’t a true reflection of us as a team or league.

"Our job tonight was to put that right and show there’s more about us and I feel we did that.

"The other side is we are hugely disappointed we couldn’t hold on and there were moments leading up to their second goal where we could and should have done better. It’s a learning curve for us and hopefully it will stand by us.”