Gary Haveron is delighted to have signed Irish League star Josh Ukek in a transfer boost for Larne. Ukek joins from Portadown after opting for full-time football. The 26-year-old had spent the past two seasons with Portadown, scoring 15 goals across his 61 appearances. He netted nine goals in the Premiership throughout his first campaign in Northern Ireland’s top-flight in 2024/25. Ukek has previous experience of playing in Europe, starring for Bala in Conference League qualifying. He insists deciding to sign for Larne was a simple call. “Ever since I spoke with Gary I knew this would be my destination,” he said. “Larne are the champions, the best team in the country, they’ve had so much success over the last few years and my mind was set when I spoke to Gary. “The professionalism of Larne, how Gary spoke to me and expressed how he feels my qualities can help Larne all went together to make this move I wanted to make. “I feel like I’ve picked up a lot of experience in the last few years. From playing in Europe with Bala and then in the Irish League with Portadown. “Everyone at Portadown has been really great with me and I’m very grateful for my time there. “I want to come here, develop my game and continue to learn things in a full-time environment.”