Who is Nathan Rooney? The lowdown on Larne FC's new manager

Larne have confirmed Nathan Rooney as their new manager. The 35-year-old comes in to replace Tiernan Lynch at Inver Park.

Lynch's exit is the end of an era. During his seven-and-a-half-year spell at the helm, Larne won successive Premiership titles and qualified for the group stages of European competition.

It was an historic reign that concluded with Lynch's move to Derry City last week. But now Larne have a new man in charge.

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Rooney previously managed Gibraltar side FCB Magpies, bringing unprecedented success to a team that was formed as a pub team back in 2013.

He has been on his coaching journey since a young age, after admitting he knew he wasn't mobile enough to continue a decent playing career.

But who is Nathan Rooney? Here's more info...

Profile

• Name: Nathan Rooney

• Birthplace: Blackburn, England

• Age: 35

• Clubs managed: Colne, FCB Magpies (twice), Espinho

READ MORE: Larne confirm new manager as Nathan Rooney replaces Tiernan Lynch at Inver Park

READ MORE: 'I've been crying out for it in NIFL Premiership' - Tiernan Lynch on new landscape

Playing career

Rooney started his playing career at Blackburn Rovers' academy, but his sights were set on a coaching career early in his career, having obtained his UEFA A Licence at the age of 22.

Reflecting on his brief playing stint, Rooney said in an interview with News & Star: “I knew myself – and you have to be honest with yourself – I was never going to be mobile enough to play at the top level.

“I continued to play in non-league, Saturday and Sunday football, but you might as well put that time and effort into what’s going to get you to the top of the ladder, which for me is coaching and management. Even at the age of 17-18 I was coaching the under-13s/under-14s at Blackburn’s academy. I did college courses away from the academy and at Myerscough College I was put through my [Level] One, Two and Three, and at 18 I had my UEFA A Licence – I was the youngest in the country."

Managerial career

Rooney kicked off his coaching career with roles at Blackburn Rovers and Fleetwood Town (where he was head of youth), helping out with both clubs' academies. He also was assistant coach at Crawley Town, Carlisle United - where he worked under Steven Pressley - and the Gibraltar national football team.

Reflecting on that international experience, Rooney said previously: “The Gibraltar thing came through the A Licence. I was 18-19 and doing the qualifications with the Gibraltar national manager. I ended up going over and [was] asked to assist at some games. We played a couple of decent teams. We played Hibernian in pre-season, the Faroe Islands…

“The Africa route was more from a recruitment point of view. From my previous club at Fleetwood, it was trying to find the next big thing. It was in Guinea-Bissau. We’re talking a couple of months with a couple of visits. It was with their national federation and I was there to teach their coaches, and also got myself on the conference board for the national set-up."

He was appointed manager of English side Colne in 2020 and two years later he became manager of Gibraltarian side Bruno Magpies. Rooney made an instant impact, helping the club finish fourth in their domestic league which saw them qualify for the UEFA Conference League qualification for the first time.

The following season Magpies finished third and won the 2022–23 Rock Cup in his first full campaign. Rooney resigned in May 2023 to take over Portuguese club Espinho, but quickly returned to the rebranded FCB Magpies later in the summer.

His first game back in charge saw the Magpies secure their first Pepe Reyes Cup which is contested between the previous season's league champions and cup winners.

Honours

(With FCB Magpies)

• Rock Cup: 2022–23

• Pepe Reyes Cup: 2023

What will be in his Larne Inbox?

It is quite rare for a new manager to come into a club that has won its second successive league title and is currently playing in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League. Larne are also into the final of the County Antrim Shield where they're targeting a fifth successive win in the competition.

Larne's Premiership form has been patchy this season, arguably you could put that down to their European commitments and congested fixture schedule. They currently sit ninth in the table, 14 points behind leaders Linfield but with four games in hand.

Rooney will be determined to build some momentum heading into the crunch festive season. He will also be looking at potential new recruits in the January transfer window.

Larne backroom staff

It has been confirmed that Gary Haveron will remain at Inver and work as Rooney's assistant. Haveron will also take first-team affairs for Thursday's Conference League clash with Olimpija Ljubljana, with Rooney officially taking over reins on Friday morning, ahead of Sunday’s Premiership game at home to Cliftonville.

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