Irish Premiership: How did Larne win this year’s Gibson Cup?

After last year’s Champions, Linfield, finished 22 points clear of the Inver Reds in second, Larne fans would have been hoping their side could regroup and have a summer with no surprises.

However, it did not prove to be the case.

It may have raised concern when owner Kenny Bruce sold his majority stake to Redball Global FC after eight crucial years at the club. Those worries were strengthened when Shaun Want returned to Scotland and the club announced that captain Cian Bolger would miss the season through injury.

The new owners were quick to make a change of management with Nathan Rooney, who had joined the club in May 2025, departing the club after their opening Irish Premiership game and Haveron becoming interim manager once again.

However, with Haveron having occupied the position of head coach for much of last season and also when Tiernan Lynch left, Larne had a more than capable replacement to take the role on full-time, with the 45-year-old eventually named as permanent manager in October.

Despite the early season chaos, Larne hit the ground running and, while other teams near the top of the table dominated the early season headlines, Larne managed to slip under the radar.