COLERAINE FC is delighted to announce that Tiernan Brolly has put pen-to-paper on his first professional contract with the club…
The exciting news comes after the teenager was promoted to the first-team squad ahead of the 2025-26 season by boss Ruaidhri Higgins.
The talented Magilligan native is adaptable at playing across the midfield and scored the winner as the Bannsiders won the North-West Senior Cup in 2024-25.
Furthermore, Brolly was part of the NIFL Scholarship Select side which won the Dallas Cup in 2025.
Bannsiders boss Higgins outlined how Brolly has both the ability and mentality to succeed as a professional footballer after agreeing the long-term deal.
He said: “He’s had a brilliant pre-season. If you ask the senior lads, he’s really, really settled into the group. He plays with no fear, he trains with no fear and he’s got the right mentality.
“As I’ve said numerous times – ability is a small fraction of what’s needed to be a professional footballer.
“The right character, the right mentality and the right attitude – they earn their stripes in the game.
“He has zero sense of entitlement, he’s patient, and he will get his opportunities as the year progresses. But he knows where he’s at and he knows that we think extremely highly of him here.
“I just love his enthusiasm, his enthusiasm every day for the game. I think you can see that with the senior players as well, that’s why they’ve really bought into him.
“No job is too big or too small for him and that’s on or off the pitch. He’s a great lad and he’s great to be around and he brings a real energy to the group.”
With the likes of Senan Devine, Alfie Gaston and Aidan Tejada gaining senior experience out on loan – alongside Sam McClintock still being involved in the first-team – Higgins remarked how the club are planning for the future.
“We’ve some good young players here and it’s something that we want to do as a club,” he added.
“We want to sign some players in and around that 16-17 age bracket, whether it’s within our own club or whether we go outside our club to bring them in.
“Because we want to build a team for the next five, six, seven years, not for the next year or two.
“We want to make sure that if we’re here or the next regime that comes in, we want to make sure that this club is on a really sound footing.”
On signing the deal, Brolly stated: “It’s an unbelievable feeling to have signed as a pro at this club,” he said.
“I’ve been part of the Academy for two years…so to now have the chance to sign as a professional player for the club means a lot.
“I’ve put in a lot of hard work and made loads of sacrifices, so it’s nice to see that effort pay off.
“I’m proud to represent the club and I’m looking forward to the challenge of proving myself at this level.
“Being involved with the first-team has been a big step up for me and it’s helped me learn so much.
“Training and playing alongside experienced players has pushed me to raise my own standards.
“It’s great to see how much the coaches trust in me and believe in me, they have been brilliant in giving advice and guidance.
“It’s been a great experience to be part of that environment and it’s made me even more excited about what’s ahead.”