Gary Haveron opens up on long-term role at Larne after overseeing impressive first win of the season

Gary Haveron has taken over as Head Coach for a third time as the hunt for a permanent Larne manager goes on

Gary Haveron says it is a case of “wait and see” over his long-term role with Larne.

The 44-year-old has taken over first team affairs at the club on an interim basis for a third time in less than a year following Nathan Rooney’s departure from Inver Park last week.

Haveron insists he will continue to help his hometown club in whatever way he can, but with regards to taking over the reins on a permanent basis he is keeping his cards close to his chest at the minute.

“I think it’s a case of wait and see,” he said after the 4-0 win over Portadown on Friday night. “When we get a chance to catch our breath a little bit and sit down with owners and see exactly how they see it.

“They may have their own views, I can’t speak on their behalf on that yet, I’ve been asked to take it on an interim basis.

“We’ve got an unbelievable staff here, you just have to look at them. When you talk about Jeff Hughes, when you talk about Keith O’Hara, when you talk about Alan Mannus, there’s not three more decorated people than that across the Irish League.

“Mick O’Boyle for me is an absolute star. He’s our physio, strength and conditioning and pretty much runs the club. Mick’s ten times more important to this football club than I am.

“When you’ve got that calibre of people around you, the lads have got an unbelievable level of support. Obviously, I support them too as best I possibly can. What will be, will be. I’m not overthinking it.

“We just take it a game at a time. If they tell me it’s going to be longer, then it’ll be longer. If they tell me it’s okay, someone’s coming on Monday, hopefully I can stay on board and continue to contribute. So be it.”

Haveron worked as Rooney’s assistant during his short tenure at the club and he says the Englishman has left a big void to fill.

“I’ve said it before, it definitely came as a bit of a shock, nobody’s saw it coming at the club, but there’s clearly reasons behind it,” he said.

“The direction the new owners want to go, once they make a decision, you get on board with it and you carry on.

“It was a bit of a shock week. It’s kind of a case-off for me, get your head down and start working again. We move on now and we see the direction the club want to move on and see where we go with it.

“Nathan was so bubbly and energetic, such a lively person to be around. You can sense that he’s gone. He was such a big personality. That’s a void that we’re going to have to fill collectively.

“I’ll remain in contact with Nathan, I’ll never not speak to him. I love what he’s been doing.

“He’s not left under a cloud for us. The players and staff, we’ve all got all the time in the world for him. He was a really popular lad.

“That’ll continue. He goes on his way and we go ours. It’s a case of can we keep building? Can we keep moving forward and see where we can go?”