Lee Lynch highlights high hopes for Larne progress with fresh deal

The 29-year-old joined the Inver Park side in January 2019 from Sligo Rovers and immediately had an impact by helping them gain promotion to the top-flight after winning the Championship title.

Lynch also played a key role in Larne’s Co Antrim Shield triumph in December – their first senior trophy since 1987 – with a 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Glentoran.

Having already made great progress under manager Tiernan Lynch, the midfielder is excited to help keep pushing Larne to the next level.

“When I first came in we were in the Championship and the goal was to get into the Premier and establish ourselves, and I think in those two years we have done that,” he told Larne’s YouTube channel. “We won the Co Antrim Shield as well, which is great.

“We still have 10 games to go in the league which we have a chance of pushing for and for Europe which is what we wanted to do.

“For me and everybody involved I suppose it’s about building on that even more and going for the league every year and qualifying for Europe.

“We have a great team to do that and I think we would suit the style of European football.

“It’s up to us to do it over the duration of a season to get us into Europe. Over the next three years we will try and push for that.”

Larne finished sixth last season and currently sit fourth this time around – one point adrift of third-placed Glentoran and 13 behind league leaders Linfield.

They are undoubtedly an ambitious club and Lynch says that is a massive reason as to why he has committed himself for another three years.

“As a player you don’t want to be with a mid-table team or has no kind of ambition to push forward or have a long-term plan for the future,” he added. “When I came in, Larne had those ambitions and they have ticked those boxes off.

“Us as players just need to come in and do our job.

“We have a great squad pushing towards that one goal and we all want European football and to be winning leagues. That’s what we need to achieve over the next three years.”

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