COLERAINE are on their travels for the second time this season as they face Carrick Rangers at Taylors Avenue tomorrow afternoon (KO 3pm)…

BOYLE SPORTS PREMIERSHIP

Overview:

Coleraine had to settle for a share of the spoils last weekend after a goalless draw against Larne at The Showgrounds. Ruaidhri Higgins’ men had the better of the chances in the first half but failed to breach the Larne goal, with Coleraine stopper Lewis Webb making vital stops to thwart Conor McKendry and Montel Gibson at the other end. It means the Bannsiders have picked up four points from their opening two games.

Carrick Rangers have picked up maximum points from their two Premiership assignments to date, including last weekend’s 2-1 victory at Limavady United. First-half efforts from Paul Heatley and Aidan Steele was enough to give the Amber Army all three points as they backed up their opening day success against Portadown with another triumph. Stephen Baxter has been busy adding to his squad as Jordan Forsythe, Jack Hastings, Daire O’Connor and Dylan Agnew have all joined this summer.

Previous Meetings:

Coleraine and Carrick Rangers met each other on four different occasions in all competitions last season.

  • September 27, 2025 (BSP) – Coleraine 2 (Okoro ’44 mins & Cooper ’61 mins); Carrick Rangers (Waide ’26 mins)
  • December 6, 2025 (BSP) – Coleraine 3 (Dunne ’59 mins, McGonigle ’83 mins & Jarvis ’89 mins); Carrick Rangers 1 (Lecky ’28 mins)
  • February 7, 2026 (IC) – Carrick Rangers 1 (Lecky ’82 mins); Coleraine 4 (Wylie ’45 mins, Shevlin ’92 mins, ‘105 mins & ‘113 mins)
  • February 14, 2026 (BSP) – Carrick Rangers 1 (Place ’44 mins); Coleraine 1 (Patching ’25 mins)

Manager’s Thoughts:

“There’s no secrets when you play against Carrick,” Higgins said.

“They are a difficult team to play against, albeit we had decent results against them last year, the games were very tight and tough.

“We know what to expect as they’ve got really good players and a manager with an amazing CV.

“We know what we’re coming up against and we will give them our full respect.”

Officials:

The match referee will be Michael McKenna.

The assistant referees are Stephen Donaldson and Jason Millar.

Shane Andrews has been selected as the fourth official.

Admission:

Coleraine supporters require tickets for the fixture which can be purchased HERE.

We would urge supporters to arrive at the ground in good time and respect residents and businesses in terms of parking your vehicle.

As ever, those unable to watch the fixture can follow the latest developments via the club’s official X account (@ColeraineFC).