'I was panicking': Larne star savours Irish League title joy after 'longest week of my life'
While Tomas Cosgrove’s main goal on Saturday was captaining Larne to league title glory, he could be forgiven for thoughts drifting elsewhere on what may be one of the most memorable weekends of his life.
Cosgrove has cemented his status as a Larne legend since becoming one of Tiernan Lynch’s first high-profile arrivals at the start of an ambitious project under Kenny Bruce, joining from Cliftonville in 2018.
That reputation only continues to grow with the Inver Reds skipper lifting a third Gibson Cup at the Co Antrim club – and fifth of his career – following an emphatic 8-0 victory over Dungannon Swifts.
There could yet be further cause for Cosgrove celebration with his partner’s due date for their new child scheduled on Sunday.
It would cap off an unforgettable weekend for the 33-year-old, who was left savouring further silverware success on the Inver Park pitch.
"Yeah, unbelievable (reception from the fans),” he said. “It's great to hear that noise, my kids and my family are here, it's unbelievable.
"My partner is about to have a baby, she's due tomorrow! I was panicking, it's been the longest week of my life – she was saying she was getting pains on Tuesday.
"I was like, ‘oh my God, please no’. We've lasted this long, if she comes tomorrow, what a week!”
Cosgrove has previously stated how Larne being written off as Premiership title challengers at the start of this season provided motivation for the Inver Reds dressing room.
With the emergence of Coleraine as a genuine contender and an improved Glentoran squad providing competition until the final weekend, a fight for Irish League success is becoming even more fierce.
However, Larne have enjoyed a dominant spell, winning three of the last four Premiership titles, and Cosgrove doesn’t take it for granted.
"The next one is always the best one,” he added. “You don't know when they're going to come again.
"Obviously, you can always say you can spend money, but that doesn't always guarantee success, you've seen that with other teams.
"There are teams out there waiting years for trophies, it's so hard to win them and to get over the line, it's a tough task. Whoever wins the league is always the best team that year.
"You can see it means so much to everyone around the club. As I said, everyone likes to write us off.
"I know they said they didn't when I did that interview, but they did. I was at the media night at the start of the season and they were all talking about Coleraine, Glentoran and Linfield. For us to do it here this season, it’s unbelievable.”