Former Irish League Star Predicts Transfer Activity for Larne
Larne's hopes of reaching the Conference League have sparked a prediction of a flurry of transfer activity from former Irish League defender Colin Coates. The Inver Reds have celebrated Gibson Cup glory in three of the past four seasons, with their sole blemish coming in 2024/25 when they created Irish League history by reaching the League Phase with Linfield running out convincing title winners.
Larne finished second on 63 points – a drop off of 27 from the previous term while they’ve registered 83 in both of their other two title triumphs. Gary Haveron’s side took a massive stride towards repeating their European feat by beating Lincoln Red Imps 2-0 in their play-off first leg and will be looking to finish the job on Thursday night.
Qualifying for the Conference League could present potential domestic challenges for Larne – they’ll need to factor in six League Phase matches, three home and three away, on Thursday nights with a number of Premiership games switched to Sunday as a result.
The Co Antrim club struggled immediately following European matches during the 2024/25 season – they lost 3-0 at home to Dungannon Swifts after travelling to Molde and were beaten 2-1 at Portadown after hosting Shamrock Rovers.
They did beat Larne following a narrow defeat to St Gallen of Switzerland and then drew with Cliftonville and Carrick Rangers after clashes with Olimpija Ljubljana and Gent – one of their most famous wins.
Haveron has strengthened his squad this summer by adding Josh Ukek, Sam McClelland, Kevin O’Hara, Montel Gibson and Jacob Carney, but Coates can see further transfer activity to deal with the extra demands if required.
"That previous experience, Gary was at the club at the time and would have experienced it as part of the staff,” said Coates on BBC Sportsound.
"If they do make the group stages, I would imagine a flurry of transfer activity before the window closes at the end of the month.
"I do think Gary will bring in a couple of extra bodies to manage that because they’re going to be playing Thursday and Sunday.
"A lot of it will depend on the potential draw, you could be drawing teams from the other side of Europe and travel then becomes a factor.
"You’re playing on a Thursday night, maybe not getting back to Friday afternoon and are then preparing to go away on a Sunday in November or December.
"That’s difficult, it’s not an easy thing to do, but a lot will depend on who they draw and where they have to go in Europe.
"I would imagine Gary will certainly dip into that market if they do make the group stages...with the finances that come along with it, I’m sure he could convince the board to throw him a few extra pound.”
Larne are currently 9th in the Premiership, with 1 point from 1 game, and are 6 points behind leaders Coleraine FC. Their next fixture is against Crusaders FC at home on December 12.
Ahead of a run of games, you can check on our fixtures page for more information.
Gary Haveron’s side will be looking to finish the job against Lincoln Red Imps on Thursday night, and if they do make the group stages of the Conference League, Coates predicts a flurry of transfer activity before the window closes at the end of the month.
