Haveron sets his sights on Carrick promotion push

The former Ballymena United and Coleraine defender joined the Taylor’s Avenue outfit in June after a season with Larne Tech Old Boys in the Amateur League. Now he is relishing the prospect of working with manager Michael Hughes and hoping his own wealth of experience in the Irish League rubs off on Rangers’ young guns.

“I hope, with the players we have, we will bounce straight back to the Premiership. I know that’s definitely Michael’s aim - he wants to return there as quickly possible,” Haveron told the Times.

“We have got a good squad of young lads who are hungry to prove themselves and he has added a few more experienced players like myself and Robert Robinson. With that combination, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t put together a strong promotion push.”

At 32, Haveron is one of Carrick’s outfield elder statesmen - alongside stalwart Glenn Taggart. However, he has wasted no time in settling in and says he is honoured to have been handed the armband ahead of the new campaign.

“It’s gone full circle for me from when I was a young player in the Irish League with Coleraine,” he admitted. “Now I’m in the team with a lot of lads who are teenagers or in their early twenties who are eager to prove their worth.

“I have to say, I have settled in very well. Michael made me captain more or less straight away, and it’s a great honour.”

In his first full season in charge of the first-team, former Northern Ireland international Michael Hughes will be out to dispel that old myth that you’ll win nothing with kids. He has put his trust in youth, with a handful of local lads getting the nod to step up to the plate. Some of new kids on the block have caught Haveron’s eye, in particular the versatile Jonny Addis and centre-back, Kyle Owens.

“Jonny Addis is a smashing player and I think he has the potential to be a real star in the Premiership, never mind the Championship,” said Haveron. “It’s a big year for him to put his stamp on things. He can play in a number of different positions and that’s maybe been a bit hard for him. I think if he can nail down one position this year and really push on, it could be a massive season for him.

“Also, there’s Kyle Owens who has pace and is fantastic on the ball. He can do my running for me and I’ll talk to him and keep him right! Hopefully, we can strike up a good partnership at the back. He has massive potential.”

The Hughes factor was a major draw for Larne man Haveron to make the move up the road to Carrick and, having played with him in training, he’s convinced the former West Ham midfielder could still do a good job on the park.

“Michael is vastly experienced,” he said. “When he talks, people listen. He commands that respect because of what he has done in the game. On the training ground he knows what he wants. He knows the style he wants to play and he sets very, very high standards.

“I tell Michael all the time that he should still be playing. He could throw a shirt on and still be the best player in this league with his eyes closed but he wants to concentrate on the management side of things.”

Haveron will be hoping the men in Amber and Black hit the ground running with three points against Institute at Dixon Park on opening day.

“If we get off to a bad start we will leave ourselves a mountain to climb towards the end of the season. It’s vitally important to get the momentum going nice and early and set targets. We certainly will go into every game looking for three points. Institute will be a hard game to begin with, but there’s no reason why we can’t get off to a good start.”