'Qualifying would be everything we've ever wanted'

Uefa Conference League play-off 2nd leg: Larne v Lincoln Red Imps

Date: Thursday, 29 August Venue: Inver Park, Larne Kick-off: 20:00 BST

Coverage: Watch connected BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app; unrecorded matter updates, report, highlights & guidance connected BBC Sport website & app.

Tomas Cosgrove says qualifying for nan Uefa Conference League would beryllium "everything" Larne "have ever wanted" arsenic they hole for a perchance monolithic nighttime successful nan club's history astatine Inver Park.

The Irish Premiership champions big Lincoln Red Imps successful nan 2nd limb of their play-off pinch triumph perchance mounting up glamorous encounters against nan likes of Chelsea, Real Betis and Fiorentina.

However, Larne must overturn a 2-1 shortage from past week's first limb successful Faro arsenic they effort to break caller crushed for Irish League clubs successful European competition.

"The prize is massive," said Cosgrove.

"To do it for nan nine and beryllium nan first from Northern Ireland, nan travel we've been connected astatine Larne, it would return america correct to nan apical of it and it would beryllium everything we've ever wanted."

Securing a spot successful nan Conference League could lead to an tremendous financial windfall for Larne, who person gone from second-tier strugglers to back-to-back Irish Premiership champions successful nan 7 years since Kenny Bruce took complete nan club.

But while nan financial summation is perchance huge, Cosgrove insists money matters person not been astatine nan forefront of nan players' minds arsenic they hole to big nan Gibraltarian champions.

"The players are conscionable seeing nan prize of being successful lucrative matches," said defender, who joined Larne from Cliftonville successful 2019.

"We could get Betis, Fiorentina, Chelsea, teams for illustration that, that would beryllium unbelievable to look backmost if we did it and sewage to play location connected Thursday night."

Whether their European travel is extended aliases ended connected Thursday, Larne will beryllium thrust backmost into convention action connected Sunday pinch a travel to Coleraine.

With their Premiership games having been postponed to assistance their preparations for European encounters, Larne are successful a unusual position successful which they could find themselves 15 points down Linfield by nan clip they footwear disconnected nan defence of their title astatine nan Showgrounds.

"It's very weird and annoying also," admits Cosgrove.

"You're seeing everyone picking up points. I wish we were retired location playing but I tin spot why we're not.

"There's a flip broadside to that pinch everyone saying 'why is it Larne, why are they doing this, why are they getting distant pinch it?'

"It's conscionable nan measurement it's worked out. We'll person to drawback up connected those games sooner aliases later. It could travel backmost to haunt america aliases it could thief us. We conscionable person to attraction connected Thursday and past consecutive into convention action connected Sunday."