How did Larne regain the Irish Premiership?

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How did Larne regain the Irish Premiership?

BBC Sport NI looks back on a season to remember for the Inver Reds.

How did Larne regain the Irish Premiership?

BBC Sport NI looks back on a season to remember for the Inver Reds.

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Larne have written their names in the history books once again after being crowned Irish Premiership champions for the third time in four years.

Knowing that a draw against Dungannon Swifts was enough to secure the title, they registered a commanding 8-0 win at Inver Park, a result which is their biggest topflight win this century.

Despite occupying the top of the table since November, Gary Haveron's side have had to navigate plenty of twists and turns to clinch the title.

BBC Sport NI looks back on a season to remember for the Inver Reds.

After last year's Champions, Linfield, finished 22 points clear of the Inver Reds in second, Larne fans would have been hoping their side could regroup and have a summer with no surprises.

It may have raised concern when owner Kenny Bruce sold his majority stake to Redball Global FC after eight crucial years at the club. Those worries were strengthened when Shaun Want returned to Scotland and the club announced that captain Cian Bolger would miss the season through injury.

The new owners were quick to make a change of management with Nathan Rooney, who had joined the club in May 2025, departing the club after their opening Irish Premiership game and Haveron becoming interim manager once again.

However, with Haveron having occupied the position of head coach for much of last season and also when Tiernan Lynch left, Larne had a more than capable replacement to take the role on full-time, with the 45-year-old eventually named as permanent manager in October.

Despite the early season chaos, Larne hit the ground running and, while other teams near the top of the table dominated the early season headlines, Larne managed to slip under the radar.

Larne's run to the third qualifying round of the Conference League gave the side the chance to gel quickly and show resilience which has been clear throughout the season.

The Inver Reds only lost one game out of the six against Latvian Auda, Kosovo's Prishtina and Santa Clara from Portugal.

It also gave the new signings a chance to settle into the side with new addition Dan Bent netting during the second qualifying round.

They also won two penalty shoot-outs in the process, with goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson coming to the fore, something which would also be seen throughout the domestic campaign.

Larne may have missed the chance to qualify for the Conference League for the second year in a row, but the qualifying campaign helped grow confidence and prepared them for a busy season ahead.

It hasn't been plain sailing for the Inver Reds on the pitch either after their 11-point lead at the top of table in January was cut to just two points in a month.

It was an unexpected twist in the Irish Premiership tale and one that set up one of the most exciting title races in recent years.

When Larne fans look back at this season, most will skip over February when the side won just one of their five league fixtures.

Defeats against bottom-six sides Carrick Rangers and Portadown paired with draws against the 'Big Two' set up an intriguing final two months of the Irish Premiership.

After their February blip, the side went on an unbeaten run and reestablished a four-point lead before the split.

They then faced more challenges when they were defeated by Coleraine in the Irish Cup semi-finals before being beaten by the Bannsiders just three days later in what looked like a damaging result for their Premiership title attempts.

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