Rooney leaves Larne after one game of new season

Just one game into the new Irish Premiership season, Nathan Rooney has agreed to step down as Larne manager.

The club said in a statement on Monday evening that the decision was made “in line with implementing our long-term football strategy and what we believe will give us the best possible chance to succeed both on and off the pitch.”

The Englishman joined Bruno’s Magpies from Gibraltar in November as Tiernan Lynch’s replacement.

He was only appointed three weeks after being appointed because he did not possess the credentials necessary to lead the team in Uefa Conference League games. He then temporarily took over Larne’s head of football.

The 35-year-old left the organization four days after his club was denied Uefa Conference League qualifying by Portuguese side Santa Clara despite being reinstated as manager in May after being accepted onto his Pro Licence course.

Larne also lost their opening Irish Premiership game to Coleraine on Tuesday (19:45 BST), and the match will be played live on BBC iPlayer.

While the club searches for Rooney’s replacement, Gary Haveron, who took over as head coach during the club’s reshuffle last year, will be in charge.

The Inver Park club won the Irish Premiership twice in 2023 and 2024, but it finished 22 points adrift of Linfield last year, finishing second.