Larne FC manager Tiernan Lynch has urged his players to focus on the task at hand â securing a place in the UEFA Conference League group stages â and not be distracted by the potential financial rewards of success.
The Northern Irish side holds a slender 1-0 advantage heading into Thursday's home leg of the third qualifying round against Ballkani. This comes after a remarkable defensive display in the first leg in Kosovo, where Matty Lusty's late goal secured a dramatic victory.
Last season, Larne suffered a heavy 7-1 aggregate defeat to Ballkani in European competition, including a 4-1 loss at their home ground, Solitude. However, Lynch is confident that his team can overcome the challenge and advance to the next round.
A win against Ballkani would put Larne just one round away from a coveted spot in the Conference League group stages. Last season, participation in the group stages guaranteed clubs a minimum of £3.5 million in prize money.
While the financial rewards are tempting, Lynch maintains that his team is solely focused on Ballkani. He told BBC Sport Northern Ireland: "If you start looking that far ahead, you'll forget what's in front of you. The only thing we're concentrating on now is Ballkani."
Lynch will be without forward Lee Bonis for the second leg, who joined Dutch club Ado Den Haag earlier this week after a successful stint with Larne. He praised Bonis' contributions and expressed confidence in Lusty's ability to fill the void: "We wish Lee the very best and hope he goes on to have a fantastic career at the next level, but it now opens the door for Matty [Lusty] to go in and prove that he can be that replacement."
The manager acknowledged that Larne rode their luck in the first leg, but he was thrilled by the team's defensive effort and believes it can inspire confidence going into the second leg.
Lynch is hoping that the first-leg victory will inject belief into his players and prove that Larne belongs on this stage. He said: "It's a hugely difficult game, but we have to take confidence from last week. The biggest thing for all our Irish League clubs, us included, is believing we can play at this level and that we should belong at this level."
The second leg will be a crucial test for Larne as they aim to overcome the challenge of Ballkani and take a significant step towards a historic group stage appearance in the UEFA Conference League.
