OPINION: I'll always remember being at Inver Park the night Irish League history was created - hopefully this is just the beginning
As the years pass and Irish League clubs progressing into the group stages – hopefully – becomes the norm, those present at Inver Park for Larne’s historic moment will proudly say ‘I was there’ as the European glass ceiling was shattered.
On a long trip to the County Antrim venue, I was full of hope and expectation about what could be possible on Thursday night, buoyed by Larne’s performance – and Lincoln Red Imps’ underwhelming display – in the first-leg that this could be the night where history is finally made after a couple of near misses across recent years.
There was a sense that this feeling was shared amongst the thousands of Larne fans in attendance – the diehard support in front of media row visibly kicking every ball and groaning at every perceived error from Swiss referee Lukas Fahndrich.
The tremendous early atmosphere was sucked out of Inver like a vacuum when Red Imps captain Bernardo Lopes slammed home an opener from close range to hand the visitors a two-goal aggregate lead, but just like their team on the pitch, the stands quickly recovered from an early setback and were right behind their team once again.
One penalty was followed by another – the peerless Andy Ryan displaying composure and quality on both occasions to further underline his status as the Irish League’s brightest talent (in my opinion, of course) – and when half-time rolled around, Larne were in the ascendancy and surely going to convert this momentum into European progression. Right?
It was never going to be straightforward, but Inver Reds boss Tiernan Lynch must have wondered what he’d done to see captain Cian Bolger forced off at half-time, a substitution which sparked a complete system change, and 14 minutes later Chris Gallagher was given his marching orders after picking up a second yellow – the fear was that Larne’s chances may have left the pitch with him.
However, in a display of immense character, Larne roared and showed a never-say-die attitude, continuing to attack and it’s perhaps poetic that headline summer signing Benji Magee, introduced off the bench for just his second club appearance, provided the decisive assist for Ryan to send Inver into raptures.
As a journalist with no fan loyalty to any Irish League team, it’s pretty straightforward to remain neutral, but when Ryan controlled that ball and fired home from close range, I was instinctively rising to my feet and cheering alongside everyone else. Unique.
My focus lies with the storylines and this occasion brought many. How about Larne’s rise from Championship winners to history-makers in the space of five years? Yes, I know they’ve significant financial funds, but it still needs to be spent properly and they’ve done a magnificent job both on and off the pitch.
Or how about the fact that likely Lynch’s lowest managerial moment two years prior – also in Europe and also against a team from Gibraltar – has been followed by the highest of highs? Comments under his interview after that St Joseph’s defeat on the club’s YouTube channel include “he's taking us backwards please just resign” and “the only transfer required is Lynch to go”. Talk about bouncing back.
With passports at the ready, Larne fans will enjoy the fruits of a historic moment for the Irish League and maybe – just maybe – this is a sign of things to come.