The result means the first-round qualifier remains very much in the balance, but Haveron feels his men should perform better on home turf
Gary Havreon admitted he was “disappointed” Larne didn’t beat Tre Fiori more emphatically but took pride in the club’s first ever Champions League win.
The Irish League champions were the dominant side in San Marino on Tuesday night as they came away with a 1-0 first-leg victory thanks to Matty Lusty’s strike at the end of the first half.
But the margin of victory could have been greater, as Lusty also had a goal ruled out after VAR judged Josh Ukek to have committed a foul in the build-up, while Larne’s final ball let them down at times.
It means the first-round qualifier remains very much in the balance, but Haveron feels his men should perform better on home turf.
“It’s a really proud moment first and foremost for the club to get a win in the Champions League,” said the Larne boss. “This is the premier competition in club football, so to get a result away from home, I’ve got to be pleased with the result.
“But I’m probably disappointed, if truth be told. I think the boys feel we could have been more convincing than the 1-0 win suggests.
“For the dominance and the amount of box entries we had, we really should have come away with a couple more goals.
“I’m disappointed with the one that gets chalked off. It looks very, very soft to me to be chalked off.
“I think the lad took a big risk and Josh has caught him (out).
“Matty finished it brilliantly, like he did his first, so we’re really disappointed that it hasn’t stood.
“But listen, we came to get a result to take back to Inver Park on Tuesday night and that’s what we’ve done.”
The 45-year-old hopes that will be another night to remember for the club, and is confident the home support will turn out in their droves after being heartened by the backing his men received from 150 travelling fans on Tuesday.
He said: “I thought they were unbelievable from start to finish. The numbers that came out, it was unbelievable.
“I said it to the players before the game. The effort that they go to and the money that they spend is not lost on me.
“We really appreciate each and every one of them who made the effort to be here.
“I’m so proud of them. I’m so proud to represent the club in Europe and they’ve done us proud yet again.”
Regarding the home leg, he added: “I don’t think they’re going to bring much of a crowd, so I don’t know why we can’t fill Inver Park.
“We need to take every seat we possibly can. We need to get people in the stands, support the boys and get them over the line.
“We’re a force to be reckoned with and we want to be progressing to the next round of the Champions League.”
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