Nathan Rooney keen to see Larne response after being 'miles off it' during Irish League opener
Nathan Rooney wants to see a major European response from Larne after feeling his side were “miles off it” during their weekend Premiership defeat to Coleraine.
The Inver Reds are facing an almost impossible task to overturn a 3-0 Conference League third qualifying round deficit following their first-leg defeat to Portuguese top-flight outfit Santa Clara at the Ballymena Showgrounds last week.
Larne make a trip to the Azores off the back of losing their opening league fixture of the campaign on Sunday after Joel Cooper struck in the closing stages, marking a memorable debut.
"It was a difficult game start to finish,” Rooney reflected on the club’s media channel. “We looked leggy, miles off it, waiting for things to happen and didn’t get hold of the game apart from 15 minutes in the first half.
"We want to train a certain way and play a certain way, so that’s the challenge.
"They’ve got to be up for every single game, they can’t just wake up for certain games and that’s the message at the moment. We’ll try and get to a level again and see how we go over the next two or three games.”
Rooney is without a number of key personnel – star striker Andy Ryan and Cian Bolger are long-term absentees while Conor McKendry and Aaron Donnelly, who are available for European competition, will miss a significant portion of Larne’s league campaign through suspension.
Matty Lusty made his first Premiership appearance since December off the bench against Coleraine while former Aston Villa attacker Kobei Moore registered his Irish League debut.
With a number of absentees, Rooney is trying to navigate through a difficult period, but has demanded more from his players as they look to compete on all fronts.
"That’s (missing players) the obvious stuff at the moment,” he added. “We’re trying to get boys back on the pitch to give a bit of bite.
"We played a certain way but we’re not doing it at the moment, especially in the last two matches, 20-minute period midweek and 10-15 on Sunday.
"I need people to understand if we’re going to do it one way we’re going to stick to that.”