Boyle on board as Loughgall head coach

Boyle, who holds the UEFA A Licence, has joined as head coach to support the work of joint managers Steven Hawe and Stephen Uprichard.

“He brings plenty of experience thanks to his work with the Club NI programme and Regions Cup junior international squads,” said Hawe. “Gerald is a good lad and will slot in quickly.

“He is respected within football circles as a coach but also brings a deep knowledge of players from his experiences.

“Plus, Gerald already knows current players like Warner Mullen, Aaron Walsh and Gary Henderson.

“We know him well and the plan had always been to bring in a third person.

“A three-man team helps spread around the responsibility, plus we also have Wesley Boyle working as a strength-and-conditioning coach.”

Club officials have also confirmed the appointment of Aaron Willis as community relations liaison officer.

Loughgall produced a sparkling second-half performance to cement success on Saturday against Lisburn Distillery.

The Villagers enjoyed a 2-1 advantage at the break but finished with a 5-1 victory as Warner Mullen grabbed a treble alongside goals for Jamie Rea and Daniel Ryan.

“We played well on Saturday overall and now want to push on and see how it develops.

“We have a full squad available for Larne on Saturday and everyone is feeling confident.

“We would still like to add to the squad in this transfer window, especially a striker.”

Kick-off on Saturday at Larne will be 3 o’clock.