Tiernan Lynch labels Larne as 'a different animal' as they close in on first ever League title

The east Antrim side need only a single point from their remaining three fixtures to secure a first ever League title.

Lynch's troops can be crowned champions this evening if they take a positive result against Crusaders at Seaview.

However, Lynch was quick to point out that certain low points during his six-year tenure have tested his resolve as he is now on the brink of bringing historic success to Inver Park.

“When you’re standing at The Oval last year, 2-0 down at half-time, you’re thinking ‘what happens now – it’s going to be a long summer’ and probably my lowest point as manager of Larne Football Club was losing to St Joseph’s,” he said.

“That was definitely a time of reflection of ‘am I cut out for this, is this for me?’

“Obviously we had to very quickly pick ourselves up and go into a League campaign and we are where we are at the moment.

“I don’t necessarily think that my job was on the line as long as Kenny was there but I definitely questioned myself, I definitely doubted myself.

“I’m very honest with Kenny and I’ll tell him when I don’t feel like I can do this, he won’t need to sack me, I’ll walk. Hopefully not any time soon but when I feel that maybe I’ve lost the changing room or I can’t get up in the morning or I can’t sit at 12 o’clock at night doing presentations and preparing sessions, then it’s time for me to check out."

After drawing against Coleraine in the Premiership and losing to Ballymena United in the semi-final of the Irish Cup, a few from the outside questioned whether Larne would hold their bottle and get over the line.

However, back-to-back wins against Glentoran and Cliftonville have now seen Larne extend their advantage even further.

“This group of players are a different animal. They are built on their honesty, their endeavour, how hard they work; there are no egos," Lynch added.

“They train like animals and I’d have been shocked if this team had blown up but we haven’t done anything yet and no one is getting carried away.

“If someone had asked me to put my mortgage on a win last Friday night against Glentoran I would have done it. You could see it in their eyes, they had that eye of the tiger.

“That’s not something you can coach; you can set a team up but that is a part of the group and the culture at the club and Kenny [Bruce] has been a major part of that where it is ‘we, not me’. That’s been massive for us.

“The big thing in this is that you always have in the back of your mind that people are maybe coming for all the wrong reasons and that maybe is a reason why we’ve finished as low down in the table in seasons gone by.

"When push came to shove, we didn’t have that grit. We did get into Europe in the last few years but we are a different animal, like I said."