What next for Larne after Lynch's departure?

Lynch spent seven years as Larne boss

All good things must come to an end, but Larne fans may feel that Tiernan Lynch's departure to take on the role as Derry City manager, has arrived prematurely.

When he rejected the chance to take over at Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone in September the Inver Park faithful will have hoped that he would see out the domestic and European season with the club.

Yet, that has not proved the case as Lynch has opted to replace Ruaidhri Higgins and oversee a huge rebuild at the Brandywell.

Not many fans will begrudge Lynch a move to pastures new, but they will feel that it is a rather abrupt ending to what was a fairytale rise to the top during his seven years at the helm.

And they will also inevitably question what comes next.

Lynch's trophy-laden spell at Larne

Larne won back-to-back Irish Premiership titles under Lynch

Lynch has presided over the club's most successful spell, winning four County Antrim Shields and back-to-back Irish Premiership titles - something few could have imagined when he took over in the summer of 2017.

The club were bottom of the second-tier Championship before Kenny Bruce took over shortly after Lynch's arrival.

His takeover ushered in a new era for the club, a new artificial pitch was installed at Inver Park with a move to a full-time model to help their push to get out of the second tier.

The 2018-19 season would be one to remember as Larne returned to the top-flight for the first time in 10 years in record breaking fashion as they won the league 17 points clear of their nearest rivals.

The club's 33-year wait for a senior trophy ended when they beat Glentoran to win the County Antrim Shield in 2020-21 - a season in which they also secured a place in European competition for the first time in their history.

The former Glentoran assistant manager was under pressure after a disappointing 2021-22 season, but he certainly delivered the following campaign, guiding Larne to their first Irish Premiership title in their 134-year history.

They side retained their title in the 2023-24 campaign and this summer he led them to the league phase of the Uefa Conference League, becoming the first Northern Irish club to qualify for the group or league phase of a major European competition.

Tough start to title defence

Larne are 14 points behind leaders Linfield with three games in hand

Their involvement in European football has undoubtedly had an impact on Larne's league form this season.

The Inver side have already lost four league games, two more than they did in the entirety of last season, and are 14 points behind pacesetters Linfield with three games in hand after a 1-0 home defeat against the Blues at the weekend.

They are 35th in the 36-team Conference League, having lost their opening three games but they do have have the prospect of a fifth successive County Antrim Shield win when they face the Glens in January.

Larne have also suffered from a spate of injuries this season, with the influential Leroy Millar a long-time absentee and the likes of Tomas Cosgrove, Cian Bolger, Shaun Want and Aaron Donnelly missing a number of games so far this campaign.

With European football potentially out of the way in the new year and with a strong squad to focus solely on domestic matters, they will be expected to challenge to win the Gibson Cup for a third year in a row.

Who will replace Lynch?

McAree, Magilton, McAuley and Waterworth could be under consideration by Larne

Given the prospect of domestic and European football as well as a full-time squad to work with, the Larne job is obviously an attractive one.

Former Carrick Rangers and Glentoran boss Gary Haveron, one of Lynch's coaches, has taken over as interim manager along with Andrew Mitchell.

Haveron spent three years as Carrick manager but lasted just 17 months at the Glens before joining Lynch's coaching staff in April 2023.

If he impresses and for continuity purposes, he may land the role on a permanent basis.

Looking around the league, Rodney McAree and Jim Magilton are two managers who have succeeded whilst playing an attractive style of football.

McAree has transformed the Swifts from relegation candidates to top six challengers in his second spell in charge of the club while Magilton led Cliftonville to their first Irish Cup in 45 years last season and maintained a title push for large spells of that campaign.

Looking further afield, former Northern Ireland defender Gareth McAuley could take his first steps into senior management if he lands the job.

McAuley is currently the Northern Ireland Under-19s manager and is preparing for their final U19 Euro 2025 qualifier against Albania on Tuesday.

Former Linfield striker Andy Waterworth, who took interim charge of the Northern Ireland women's senior team in 2023 could be an option too.

Waterworth currently works as Head of Elite Player Development at the Irish Football Association.

It will be big shoes to fill for whoever lands the job after a superb seven years under Lynch.