NOVEMBER saw the Stripes in action six times as teenager Oliver Devlin produced a moment of magic to earn a point at Linfield…
Coleraine started the month by welcoming Glenavon to the Ballycastle Road in a contest that required patience from the hosts. When it looked like the two teams would go in level at the break, the Bannsiders hit the front with the last action of the half when a tantalising cross by Lyndon Kane on the right-hand side was flicked goalwards by Matthew Shevlin and Joel Cooper was in the right place at the right time to head home. The goals just kept on coming for Coleraine after the restart as Cooper and Shevlin both got in on the act for 3-0. The day became more difficult for Glenavon when custodian Mark Byrne was dismissed by referee Tim Marshall after bringing down an onrushing Cooper, meaning outfielder Harry Murphy had to go in nets. This opened the floodgates for Coleraine as Levi Ives lashed home his first Coleraine goal, with Cooper then going on to complete his hat-trick. However, the goal of the day belonged to the visitors as the clock hit 90 minutes. A kick up the pitch by stand-in ‘keeper Murphy found Paul McGovern 40 yards from goal and his instinctive effort looped over Aidan Harris and into the net as the game finished 5-1.
Joel Cooper pictured with the match ball after his hat-trick against Glenavon.
The second round of the BetMcLean Cup pitted Coleraine at home to Championship side Armagh City in what would turn out to be a foggy evening at The Showgrounds. Efforts from Rowan McDonald, Oliver Devlin, Lewis McGregor and Declan McManus had Ruaidhri Higgins’ men in the ascendancy at the interval. Amid a heavy fog, McGregor rattled home his second of the night, which was quicky followed by a Dermot McCaffrey own goal and McManus completing his brace. The visitors completed the scoring on the night and in fine style as Conor Mullen let fly from just outside the box as the ball landed into the top corner as Coleraine reached the last eight.
Coleraine were then on their travels for a Saturday tea-time kick-off against Linfield at Windsor Park. Both teams cancelled each other out in the opening 45 minutes as Kirk Millar threatened for the Blues, whilst at the other end, Joel Cooper’s rasping drive was kept out by Chris Johns. However, it was Linfield who struck first on 57 minutes when a ball into the area was worked to Matthew Fitzpatrick and he finished with an acrobatic overhead kick. To their credit, Coleraine showed their never-say-die-attitude to equalise in injury-time as teenager Oliver Devlin took centre stage. The midfielder received the ball with his back to goal and he showed terrific skill to evade his markers and cross for Matthew Shevlin to stab home. Linfield remarkably ended the game with nine men as Coleraine tried to find a winner as Ethan McGee and Ben Hall were both dismissed for two bookable offences.
Matthew Shevlin celebrates his equaliser at Windsor Park.
Coleraine then failed to pick up any Premiership points as they were edged out by Cliftonville at Solitude. After both teams had chances, Jim Magilton’s men struck first on 40 minutes as the ball was fed out to Keevan Hawthorne on the left-hand side. The winger looked up and found Rory Hale inside the box and the midfielder struck a low shot into the far corner. Ruaidhri Higgins elected to bring on Zane Okoro, Ronan Doherty, Lyndon Kane and Oli Devlin at various stages after the restart, with the latter spurning a major chance to ensure the Bannsiders left with a share of the spoils as his close-range attempt was smothered by PJ Morrison.
A mouth-watering clash at home to Larne was next on the schedule but Coleraine ultimately slipped to back-to-back Premiership losses. As half-time approached, Larne struck twice within a quickfire spell to put themselves firmly in the driving seat. The first arrived on 43 minutes when Tomas Cosgrove’s cross picked out Leroy Millar and the midfielder’s effort went into the net via the post. Soon after, Cosgrove was involved yet again for the second as he managed to hook Millar’s initial cross into the box to find Sean Graham who picked his spot. Coleraine made four changes before the hour mark and managed to pull a goal back in stoppage-time through Matthew Shevlin’s close-range effort but that was as good as it got as Larne left with the 2-1 win.
Two first half goals saw Larne leave the Ballycastle Road with all three points.
However, Coleraine returned to winning ways after a goal in each half earned all three points against Crusaders at Seaview. The Bannsiders started well and took the lead on 16 minutes when a deep corner-kick delivery found its way to Jamie Glackin who fired home a spectacular overhead kick. In a tight game with very few clear-cut chances thereafter, Coleraine rubber-stamped the victory in second half stoppage-time when Jamie McGonigle netted a delightful effort into the bottom corner for his first goal of the season.