Tomas Cosgrove’s second-half goal saw Larne end their Uefa Conference League campaign on a high with a historic 1-0 win over Gent at Windsor Park.
Having lost their previous five matches in the league stage of the competition, the Irish Premiership champions defied their underdog status to deservedly claim the scalp of their Belgian opponents and claim their first points.
Cosgrove beat his marker and curled a low shot past goalkeeper Davy Roef in the 74th minute after Andy Ryan had fired the ball into the path of Sean Graham, who provided the pinpoint delivery.
Having made history by becoming the first Irish League club to progress to the league or group stage of a major European competition, the victory marked another milestone for the East Side club. Antrim and the Irish Premiership.
As well as the three points, Larne also collected the 400,000 euros (£330,252) on offer to secure a league victory and move from bottom of the table, from 36th to 34th.
This success occurred against a backdrop of significant change for the Invermen. First, long-serving manager Tiernan Lynch left his post midway through the campaign to take charge of Derry City, then his successor Nathan Rooney was replaced last week as head coach by his assistant Gary Haveron after Bruno’s former Magpies chief failed to be found. have the Uefa Pro license necessary to manage European competitions.
Gent have dropped to 17th in the league table and will now face an away game in the play-offs in March.
Opportunities on both sides
Larne started the match brightly and could have taken the lead in the opening minutes, but Sam Todd failed to understand Mark Randall’s inviting delivery.
For the visitors, Archie Brown shot wide, then home goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson pushed away Omri Gandelman’s header.
There was further danger in the penalty area for the hosts when Andri Gudjohnsen’s header from a Sven Kums corner was deflected by Gandelman, before the ball was further deflected by a Larne player en route to security.
The best chance of the first half fell to Stefan Mitrovic when his header flew over the bar from another Kums corner.
Matty Lusty was particularly lively for a well-organized Larne side, but they failed to create enough clear-cut chances.
However, they created their best opportunity after the restart when Lusty laid the ball back for Andy Ryan, whose low shot was well saved by Ghent stopper Roef.
Gent began to impose themselves more on the game and substitute Momodou Sonko simply failed to touch compatriot Max Dean’s shot at the far post.
It was Larne who ultimately broke the deadlock, as Cosgrove’s well-executed strike saw them earn a deserved and historic triumph.
Haveron’s men will be hoping to use the result as a platform to improve on their lackluster league form and inspire them to retain their Premiership crown, as well as challenge for glory in cup competitions on the domestic front.
