Shamrock Rovers comfortably secured their place in the UEFA Europa Conference League with a decisive win in the cross-border derby, netting three first-half goals. This result marked the easiest €400,000 that any League of Ireland side is likely to earn at this level.

Graham Burke was the star performer for Rovers, as a Larne team visibly struggled to contain his movements from the opening minutes. Manager Stephen Bradley was able to rotate his squad, shuffling the line-up in midfield and attack, without compromising the team's performance.

The tone for the mismatch was set inside three minutes, when an unchecked Burke advanced freely from deep. His deflected effort fell kindly to wing-back Josh Honohan, who slotted home from close range.

Rovers dominated possession throughout, with Burke and Danny Mandroiu consistently providing additional options for Aaron McEneff and Markus Poom in the centre. Set-pieces were also crucial as Rovers added two more goals within the first 30 minutes.

Larne's defence was disorganised, and Burke capitalised on a loose ball during a bout of head tennis, crossing for Johnny Kenny, who headed in from close range. VAR later came into play for the third goal when Burke's flick was turned over the line by Larne defender Tomas Cosgrove under pressure from Honohan. The video assistant ruled that Honohan’s actions were legitimate.

By half-time, the game was effectively decided, with Larne on the verge of losing their discipline and hoping for respite.

After the break, Larne managed to pull one goal back from another set-piece, with Christopher Gallagher beating Leon Pohls. However, this only reinvigorated Rovers, as Burke nonchalantly added another goal following sloppy defending from the Irish League champions.

Bradley was able to manage his squad throughout the final 30 minutes, ensuring the exertions of this fixture wouldn’t impact Rovers' crucial league encounter with Dundalk on Sunday. A win in that game is essential to keep their hopes of securing five consecutive league titles alive.

Regardless of the domestic situation, this European success boosts Rovers’ earnings to an estimated €4.4 million for 2024.

More significantly, it strengthens their chances of qualifying for the playoff round in January. Under the new format, Bradley believes seven points could suffice for progression. After their opening draw against APOEL, Rovers will meet that target if they capitalise on home advantage against TNS on 7th November.

Larne: Ferguson, Ives, Bolger, Todd, Cosgrove (Bond 90); Thomson (McEneff 60), Gallagher; Magee (Lusty 74), Sloan (Randall 74), Graham; Ryan.

Shamrock Rovers: Pohls, Cleary, Lopes, Grace; Burns (Clarke 73), McEneff (Byrne 73), Poom (Watts 73), Honohan; Burke (Noonan 66), Mandroiu (Nugent 60); Kenny.