300 just the beginning for Snowy

COLERAINE defender Aaron Canning insists he is grateful to everyone involved at the club after making his 300^th appearance in blue and white…

The Limavady man reached the milestone in fine style as he helped the Bannsiders record a derby day win against Ballymena United last Tuesday evening.

The 28-year-old joins an illustrious list of names in the 300 club but he certainly has his eyes set on more appearances for the Stripes.

“I suppose as a footballer it is nice to reach that amount of games for one club,” he said.

“It probably doesn’t feel like I’ve played that many games but it is nice to get there.

“I know the 300 club has some famous names from years gone by so I’m proud to be on that list.

“I’m grateful to Davy Platt who took a chance on me at Coleraine when I was 16-years-old as he was key in my development as a young player.

“Obviously in the last few years, I have been thankful to Oran for bringing me back and he certainly brings the best out of me.

“I’ll keep playing for Coleraine for as long as I can and I’ll see how far the body lets me go.”

The Stripes have taken their unbeaten run to nine games and currently sit in fourth spot in the Danske Bank Premiership after an inconsistent start to the season.

“We knew we had to go on some sort of run to get where we want to be,” Canning added.

“It’s been a good run against some top teams along the way, and whilst people were saying we dropped points against Cliftonville and Portadown, I have no doubts that they will also take points off the other teams.

“I thought we deserved the win on Tuesday night as we were solid at the back and Lyndon’s goal was a wonder strike and worthy of winning any game.”

Coleraine are next in action away to Linfield and Canning knows there is a strong squad depth at The Showgrounds to cope with the demand.

“The schedule is hectic but we can’t complain about it as it’s the same for all teams,” he concluded.

“We have a good strength in depth and Gareth has been unbelievable, Stephen O’Donnell will be a great player to have back when fit, and we also have the likes of Howard Beverland and Steven Douglas who are both vastly experienced.

“It is a shame we don’t have Adam Mullan available as I think he is one of the best defenders in the league.”