Who’s laughing now, asks Larne coach Gary Haveron as he reflects on the effect the team’s success has had on the often-maligned port town.
The Invermen became the first Irish League club to reach the group stages of European competition this year, after winning two successive league titles.
Just eight years ago, Inver Park was a dump, the facilities were either poor or condemned and the team was in the wilderness.
The town itself became a depressed area economically after major employers either shut down or moved away and jobs were hard to find.
But Kenny Bruce’s investment in the club and the area, coupled with Tiernan Lynch’s unprecedented success on the pitch has given the town a new sense of pride, says Haveron.
“I’ve lived in Larne all my life, bar my time playing across the water, and it was the punchline of a joke; the best thing about Larne was the boat out of it”, said the former Bolton Wanderers and Coleraine player.
“It was a run-down town. So many people were out of work and so many shops were closing, it was dire.
“Everyone had to go out of town to get work and it was grim.
“What (the success) has done is it has given the town a real sense of pride.
“We’re really proud people in Larne, and the football club has put Larne on the map for a really positive reason, you wear your Larne gear with your head up and shoulders back and a real sense of pride.
“It’s a real family club and you can see a really fair representation of everyone in our town, Protestants, Catholics, older people, younger people, different ethnicities, different backgrounds, different people.
“When Red Imps were here we were genuinely close to tears because we could see what it meant to everybody, it was so emotional.
“There are old women wearing Larne hats, kids are running around wearing the kit – my missus cracks up with me because everywhere we go, people want to stop me and talk about the club.
“That’s the interest there is now and it’s great to see.
“For people to hold their heads high and say ‘I’m from Larne, go ahead, where’s your jokes now?’, there’s a real sense of pride and that’s important for everyone in the town.”
