There's a good chance Aarhus fans are regretting some of their first half chants in the wake of Larne’s stunning 3-2 aggregate win at Ceres Park in the Europa Conference League.
At one point a lively section of the AGF Ultras, packed behind one of the goals, could be heard singing in English: “You’re sh** and you know you are!”
The same fans also serenaded Larne substitute Ronan Hale, a 42nd minute replacement for the injured Lee Lynch, with a raucous rendition of: “Who are ya? Who are ya?”
Only for the 22-year-old to introduce himself in devastating fashion three minutes later, scoring the visitors’ opener en route to a crucial 1-1 draw on the night.
“It’s my most important and most enjoyable goal in a Larne shirt,” said Hale, whose drilled finish helped propel the Inver Park club to a famous result in its first ever European campaign.
“Their fans were intimidating and when I was coming on I could hear them chanting ‘who are ya?’ in English, so it was great to score in front of them three minutes later.
“I was actually going to hit it first time when Mark (Randall) fed me in, but I realised I had time to take a touch and thankfully it set me up for a good finish.”
Hale is making a habit of scoring quickfire goals off the bench for Larne in Europe, having also bagged a home leg winner in only six minutes against Bala Town in the previous round.
He came on in the 78th minute and arrowed home a 'worldie' in the 84th minute against Bala a fortnight ago, before repeating the trick in half that time in Denmark on Thursday night.
“I’m going to be under pressure to score with my very first touch the next time,” he chuckled.
“Obviously, it kills you when you don’t start because it’s what every player wants, but at the same time there’s no better feeling than scoring important goals, especially in Europe.
“My family was texting me after the game and I also saw footage of Larne fans celebrating back at Inver Park, so it’s brilliant being able to bring that kind of happiness to people.”
Aarhus, who finished fourth in the Superliga last season, just below Midtjylland, who knocked Celtic out of the Champions League, levelled through a Patrick Olsen penalty.
But Larne held on for a 1-1 draw on the night and 3-2 aggregate win overall to progress to the next round where Portuguese club Paços de Ferreira lie in wait.
“We were big underdogs and the away leg was a tougher test on a bigger pitch, but I think we did a really professional job,” said Hale.
“I think the boys handled themselves really well and I thought we were really disciplined defensively.
"To put out a big club like Aarhus in Europe is fantastic and great for the club.”
