Larne manager Gary Haveron expressed dissatisfaction with the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) for not having the authority to postpone fixtures, a move he believes could enhance the performance of Irish League clubs in European competitions.

This weekend, Larne faced Coleraine in a goalless draw at Ballycastle Road, a match that came right after their extra-time defeat to Georgian side Iberia 1999 in the Europa League third qualifying round and just before their upcoming match against Lincoln Red Imps in the Conference League play-off first leg.

Haveron clarified that he does not hold Coleraine accountable for their decision to play, acknowledging they acted in their own interest. However, he advocates for guidelines that would allow NIFL to align more closely with other countries, providing better chances for Northern Irish clubs to advance in international tournaments.

The club aims to reach the league stage of the Conference League for the second time in three years. “I have no gripe with Coleraine whatsoever that they wanted to play this game because they did what they felt was right for them. They made a decision based on three points,” Haveron shared with BBC Sport NI.

He further emphasized, “If the Georgian FA can step in and cancel games, if the Gibraltar FA can step in and move games to the side, why can’t NIFL have the authority to do that? For the good of the league, we need to see the bigger picture. Tell me one club in the Irish League who could do without £50,000.”

Haveron pointed out that measures allowing clubs to have the best chance of success in continental competitions serve the league’s best interests, particularly with the threat of losing a European spot. A decrease in the Irish League’s coefficient could reduce their representation from four clubs to three.

“The ramifications are that we actually lose money and will lose a spot in Europe, which we won’t recover for two-plus years. That’s the reality,” he explained. “The league should have the power to provide us with the best opportunity to secure funding and a successful outcome in Europe. We could have had our game against Coleraine moved, giving us seven days to prepare for our next match.”

In addressing the situation, he clarified, “We weren’t asking for an unfair favour; we just wanted the same opportunities for preparation as our opponents.”

‘It Could Have Been Made a Lot Easier for Us’

Despite the challenges posed by a compact preparation schedule, Haveron reassured that his team is “resilient” and will aim to give their best against Lincoln Red Imps. The team previously triumphed over the same opponent in their last ascent to the league stage in 2024.

“We’ll prepare as best we can and strive to represent the league, Northern Ireland, and our football club with pride to achieve a good result,” Haveron said.

He noted, “We have a busy week with Tuesday’s match, then flying out Wednesday, and playing at six o’clock in the heat of Gibraltar. It’s a tough challenge. It could have been made a lot easier for us, but it is what it is. We’ll remain resilient and have a game plan.”

In addition, defender Dan Bent sustained an injury in the first half against Coleraine, adding to the challenges ahead of the significant European match.

“We’ve lost another key player from our squad, which will test our resilience to the max,” Haveron commented. “To lose a player like Dan Bent so early due to an unnecessary challenge is frustrating. He is currently in the hospital for scans on his shoulder after falling awkwardly.”

Larne manager Gary Haveron has bemoaned the fact that the Northern Ireland Football League [NIFL] is unable to step in and postpone fixtures which he believes would boost the chances of Irish League clubs performing well in Europe.

The Irish Premiership champions played out a 0-0 draw with last year’s league runners-up Coleraine at Ballycastle Road on Saturday.

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That match was sandwiched between the Invermen’s extra-time defeat by Georgian side Iberia 1999 in the Europa League third qualifying round second leg on Tuesday and their upcoming trip to Gibraltar to face Lincoln Red Imps in the Conference League play-off first leg on Thursday.

Haveron does not lay the blame on likely title rivals Coleraine for the failure to call off the game but would like to see guidelines brought in line with other nations in a bid to give Northern Ireland clubs improved opportunity to progress on the continental stage.

Larne are aiming to make the the league stage of the Conference League for the second time in three years.

“I have no gripe with Coleraine whatsoever that they wanted to play this game because they did what they felt was right for them. They made a decision based on three points,” Haveron told BBC Sport NI.

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“I’m saying my bigger thing is if the Georgian FA can step in and cancel games, if the Gibraltar FA can step in and move games to the side, why can NIFL not have the authority to do that?

“Why do they not have the power to move a game to the side? Ultimately, for the good of the league, because the knock-on effect is if we make group stages, every club gets an extra £50,000, you have consolidation money.

“For the good of the league, we’ve got to see the bigger picture. Tell me one club in the Irish League who could do without £50,000.”

Haveron says having measures in place to allow clubs the best opportunity to advance in continental competition is in the best interests of the league as a whole, especially with the possibility of losing a spot in Europe looming large.

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A drop in the Irish League’s coefficient could see their representation reduced from four clubs to three.

“The ramifications are we actually lose money and we’ll lose a spot in Europe and we won’t get it back for two-plus years – that’s the reality,” Haveron continued.

“The league should have the power to let us have the best opportunity to secure that money for the league, to give us the best chance of being successful in Europe, we could have had this game [against Coleraine] moved aside. That would have given us seven days preparation for a game.

“We would have had the same opportunity as the Gibraltar team, and I think that was only what we were asking for.

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“We weren’t asking for an unfair favour or to load the dice in our favour. We were just asking for the same opportunity as what our opponents were getting.”

‘It could have been made a lot easier for us’

Despite what he perceives to be the difficulties presented by a shorter than ideal preparation period, Haveron says his squad are “resilient” and will give their tie against Lincoln Red Imps their best shot.

The east Antrim club defeated the same opposition when they advanced to the league stage in 2024.

“We’ll prepare as best we possibly can and we’ll do our best in that there to represent the league, to represent Northern Ireland, to represent each other and the football club to get a result,” said Haveron.

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“We’ve got Tuesday, and then we’ve got to fly Wednesday, and we’ve got to play at six o’clock in the middle of the heat they have out in Gibraltar. It’s a difficult ask.

“It could have been made a lot easier for us but it is what it is. But again, we’ll be as resilient as ever. We’ll have a game plan.”

Defender Dan Bent came off injured in the first half of the stalemate with the Bannsiders, providing the Larne boss with an additional injury headache before the big European tie.

“We’ve lost another key player to our squad there today, so resilience in the group is going to be tested to the max.

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“To lose a key player in Dan Bent so early in the game to a needless challenge from [Matthew] Shevlin as a charge in the back – it’s absolutely needless.

“Now he’s away to hospital there to be scanned on his shoulder because he fell awkwardly.”