From the second tier of Northern Irish football to a debut in a major European competition in the space of five years, Larne will break new ground when they take on Molde in the Uefa Conference League on Thursday. By qualifying in dramatic fashion - Andy Ryan's hat-trick fired the 10 men of east Antrim to glory against Gibraltarians Lincoln Red Imps at the play-off stage - the Inver Park side became the first Irish Premiership side to reach this stage of a European competition. For defender Tomas Cosgrove, who has been with the club since their days in the Championship, it has been an incredible journey.
Prior to Larne's landmark achievement, Linfield had come closest to breaking through the glass ceiling of European qualification when they were one kick of a ball away from success in 2022. Cosgrove admits that was the moment when he realised it was possible for an Irish Premiership side. "Someone said ‘did you think we’d ever be here?’.
To be honest, no," the 31-year-old told BBC Sport NI in Norway. "I didn’t think any Irish League team would be until I saw Linfield come close. "They gave us the taste for it and luckily we got here.
" Luck didn't have an awful lot to do with it. It has been a long journey, with bumps in the road, but Larne's success didn't happen overnight. Since boyhood fan turned businessman Kenny Bruce took over a struggling Larne in 2017, he has helped fund their rise through the ranks.
The appointment of Tiernan Lynch as manager proved to be a ma.
