Larne's new arrival has Champions League in mind but warned he has 'big boots to fill'

Larne look set to hand a debut to new striker Kevin O'Hara in Tuesday night's Champions League first qualifying round tie against Tre Fiori. The 27-year-old was landed from Hamilton Accademical on a free transfer just days after the departure of fellow Scot Andy Ryan, who made 121 appearances for the club, scoring 70 goals.

O'Hara, a former Scotland underage star, bagged 38 goals in 130 appearances across all competitions for Hamilton, helping Accies seal promotion back to Scotland's second tier in 2024 after netting 14 times in League One.

Larne boss Gary Haveron is hopeful O'Hara can replicate the impact of his predecessor. "I spoke to Andy Ryan about him and I spoke to Jon Rankin who managed him at Hamilton and he spoke very highly about him," Haveron said.

"When the opportunity came up we did our due diligence as you do which involved watching some footage and it became clear that he is an exciting player. He has really high energy he presses aggressively from the front end of the park and leads the line excellently."

Haveron acknowledged the weight of expectation on O'Hara's shoulders. "I hope he can come and make anywhere near the impact that the last player we brought in from Hamilton did. What Andy Ryan did for us was nothing short of exceptional and I hope Kevin will come in and do exactly the same."

O'Hara will be part of Haveron's squad for the Tre Fiori clash in San Marino on Tuesday night, provided his international clearance is processed in time. The striker began his career at Falkirk before enjoying loan spells at East Fife and Stenhousemuir. He subsequently played for Alloa Athletic and Dunfermline Athletic before joining Hamilton, where he became a fan favourite.