We can confirm Andy Ryan will depart Inver Park upon the expiry of his contract at the club.
The 31-year-old leaves Inver after three and a half years at the club, where he scored a total of 70 goals in 121 appearances.
Among those goals, his hat-trick in the second leg of Conference League Qualifying Round in August 2024 against Lincoln Red Imps will go down in the club’s history, having clinched a place in the League Phase.
The former Hamilton Accies man collected three league titles, a County Antrim Shield and UEFA Conference League qualification along the way.
He has now informed the club he plans to return to his native Scotland, having helped clinched the Gibson Cup at the end of last season, with manager Gary Haveron playing a glowing tribute to the striker. He said:
“When Andy arrived there is no doubt Larne were knocking on the door for major honours, but when he came in he was the catalyst to kick us on for the success which followed.
“His hat-trick against Lincoln Red Imps will no doubt be one of the main standout memories to clinch qualification for the Conference League.
“Every team needs a goalscorer and Andy provided that for us. He was the talisman who came up trumps time and again.
“One thing many people won’t know is his leadership in and around the group. He sets standards in how he trained and if something needed said in the changing room he would have said it and he was above reproach because he would have done his job.
“He will go down as a Larne legend and he will be forever remembered for what he did.
“For me personally, I am grateful for what he did when he came back from injury in January. He scored so many goals in such a short space of time and it got us over the line.
“He will be missed, but family must come first and we understand and we respect that. He has a boy who misses him at home and you can’t get that time back.
“We desperately wanted him to stay and made him an offer which reflected that, but we understand this is about family and he goes with our best wishes.”
Having crossed the Irish Sea at the beginning of 2023, to leave Scottish football for the first time, Andy himself had a departing message for the club’s supporters.
Reflecting on his time at the club, he added:
“I want to thank everyone involved with the club for how they have welcomed me and made me part of it.
“I have really enjoyed my time at the club in what has been a successful period for everyone connected with it.
“During that time I have met so many amazing people – many of them have become friends along the way.
“I just felt it was the right time for me to move on, with three league winners medals it feels like the right time, having lifted one more Gibson Cup.
“I want to wish everyone all the very best for the upcoming season and future. Hopefully I can get back to visit soon.”
