Rooney reinstalled as Larne manager

Larne have reinstalled Nathan Rooney as manager following the Englishman's enrolment on his Uefa Pro Licence course.

In December, just three weeks on from succeeding Tiernan Lynch in the Inver Park dugout, Rooney moved into the club's head of football role after it emerged he was unable to lead Larne in their Uefa Conference League campaign as he did not hold the required licence.

With Rooney having been accepted on to his Pro Licence course in March, he returns to his original position.

Gary Haveron, who took over head coaching duties for the remainder of the 2024-25 season, returns to his role as Rooney's assistant.

"It has been a period of change for us all, including our amazing fanbase, who has continued to bring the noise and energy to every matchday since my arrival," said Rooney.

"I appreciate all of you and it's our job as a group to continue working hard to achieve new goals whilst working smartly through both the smooth and difficult times.

"I want to express my thanks to Gary Haveron who has been a great professional to work alongside and his work ethic to keep pushing the team has been second to none – I thank him for his support throughout this period."

Rooney, who was brought in from Gibraltar side Bruno's Magpies, added: "Gary will continue to play a major role as an experienced professional who is highly thought of in the local area and the Irish Premiership.

"Our job now is to hit the ground running in pre-season, develop our younger players, implement a playing style which can be exciting to watch and provide an energy which brings us all together on and off the pitch and we will see where it takes us."

Larne chairman Gareth Clements said the past few months have "allowed Nathan to do a lot of the groundwork across the whole club and we're now looking forward to having him lead all aspects of our senior men's team".

"We are very excited to see how Nathan will shape the playing squad as pre-season preparations get underway in the coming weeks," added Clements.

"On behalf of everyone at the club, I want to express our sincere gratitude to Gary Haveron for how he stepped up to lead first team affairs since the middle of December.

"Clinching automatic European qualification at the end of a 60-game season, with all the demands placed on the team this season domestically and in Europe, was a huge achievement."

Larne finished second in the Irish Premiership, 22 points behind champions Linfield, and were knocked out of the Irish Cup fifth round by Limavady United.