Boss Millar has a 'keeper quandary

It’s a couple of months since Larne manager Paul Millar revealed that the experienced Shannon, who has been around quite a few clubs in his time – Sunderland, Brighton, Halifax, Scarborough, Portadown, Dungannon Swifts, Ballymena United, Linfield and Crusaders prior to his stint at Taylor’s Avenue – had signed a pre-contract.

But the grapevine has become increasingly insistent that he could actually finish up playing alongside Ryan McLoughlin at newly-promoted Harland and Wolff Welders. And Millar admits that he has heard that suggestion more times than he wanted to recenly.

“Yes, I have heard the stories going around alright and I’m not best pleased about it. But unless I hear it from the man himself ... we worked out a deal and he shook hands on it, so that’s where we still stand as far as I’m concerned. We also have his release from Carrick Rangers.

“Now the last I heard from him was a text which said that, due to other commitments, he might have difficult with availability on Saturdays – but would that not also apply if he was to sign for some other club?

“The situation is that he signed a pre-contract, pending his old contract with Carrick Rangers expiring on August 1, and we’ll be submitting the forms to the IFA as planned.

“I’m not saying there’s any connection, and I certainly wouldn’t want it to be the case but, since Ryan McLoughlin went to the Welders, other players signed to Larne have been getting overtures about moving to them as well.

“Marc Brown is one example. He’s got a year to run on his contract and asked me about getting his release. I’ve been in football a long time and I can’t remember any player asking for a release when he was out injured, so I asked him if another club was interested. He admitted there was and I told him he was our player and he should tell the club to contact us if they are keen on signing him.

“I don’t like all this cloak-and-dagger stuff and just wish managers and players would come clean and tell it as it is. If players or clubs came to me and put their cards on the table, things would be much easier for everybody concerned. I made my first-team debut with Glentoran when I was 16 and, in all the years since, I’ve tried to be frank and honest with everybody in football and that’s how I want others to be,” added Millar.

Attendance at training, as is always the case at this time of year, has been sketchy because of the holidays. But improvement in numbers was expected this week on Tuesday and Thursday ahead of Saturday’s pre-season friendly at Inver Park, when Ballymena United will be bringing goalkeeper Ryan Brown back to the venue where he made such an impact last season.