Captain’s Column

COLERAINE skipper Stephen O’Donnell thanks supporters for their terrific backing in 2018 and has welcomed Ben Doherty to The Showgrounds…

It’s been a busy Christmas period for us as a club, but one we have managed extremely well and the boys have put in some tremendous shifts and we have managed to pick up seven points from a possible nine. That’s a really positive run of results that can give us the platform to start generating momentum going into the second half of the season. That’s really important as not only does it generate a good atmosphere around the club, it also provides a platform for our new signings to come in and settle into the team.

Looking back at the results and the performances so far over the Christmas period, I think Rodney will be extremely pleased with the application of the boys and the hunger and fight they have shown. Most notably on Boxing Day where the boys were down to 10 men with almost all of the second half still to play. The boys dug in and showed how much it means on derby day for Coleraine and were cruelly denied all three points, right at the death. The performance levels reached that day must be our marker for the end of the season. Rodney and the boys set that standard that day and anything less than that between now and the end of the season isn’t good enough. I think it showed to everyone outside our changing room, what we’ve known all along. Not only do we have a huge amount of quality in our changing room, but on our day, we are more than a match for any team in this league. It’s about us rediscovering that consistency and performing every single week in 2019. Boxing Day was an important day for me as it showed everyone, that we’re a club united. Your support that day was as impressive and influential as it has been throughout my time at the club and I know the boys felt as if you drove them on with 10 men. They were gutted they didn’t hold on to all three points for you. Another note from Boxing Day was the extension of our long unbeaten run over Ballymena. That’s something that I know you are all proud of. I haven’t been involved in a defeat to Ballymena since joining the club, so hopefully we can carry that into 2019 and beyond.

The win against Warrenpoint was an important one and I think it shows how much we have improved recently under Rodney. The last time we went down there we should have won and didn’t. We should have created chances and won the game, but we didn’t. Saturday showed that when the manager has options, we have quality players that can win football matches. We created chances, kept a clean sheet and won the game. Ruthless. That’s what we need to get back to. Saturday showed just how quickly football can turn around. Last week Jamie was on the bench and James scored against Ballymena. It could have been easy for Jamie to be disappointed or let his frustrations show. Credit to him, he kept his head down and took his chance on Saturday. I thought he was outstanding. He held the ball up well, worked hard for the boys and got the goal his play deserved. Hopefully he can kick on now in the second half of the season and get back amongst the goals regularly. Another opportunity on Saturday came for Crowner. Graham has been a bit stop start recently with injury and I was delighted for him on Saturday as I thought he was outstanding and deserved that clean sheet.

I haven’t been involved in a defeat to Ballymena since joining the club, so hopefully we can carry that into 2019 and beyond.

It’s important that we take the hard work and the performances over the last few weeks into Cliftonville at home on New Year’s Day. Without looking too far ahead or at targets, they are the team directly above us. Win and we are above them and onto the next team standing in our way. We must be wary of the goal threat they possess. I’ve spoken before about Joe Gormley and Rory Donnelly. If we can contain them then it gives us a platform to win the game. They have leaked a lot of goals recently, but I don’t expect that to happen on Saturday. I expect them to come with a plan to try and stay in the game and give themselves a chance of taking something from the game. It’s important that we manage that and be smart in how we go about trying to win three points.

As good a win as it was on Saturday, all the boys and everyone associated with the club are devastated at the news Lyndon has broken his foot again. This is the worst news for someone who has worked so hard to come back from injury twice before. I have seen him over the winter nights in the gym and working on his own with Alan Millar to get back. I have seen the passion he has for this club and the devastation of missing the Irish Cup final last season. I have seen the individual work he has been doing when the boys are training. I have seen him get back to playing and cruelly break down again. He doesn’t deserve the disappointment. He doesn’t deserve the heartbreak or the long road to recovery starting again. He loves this club and just wants to play football. Trust me, Lyndon will be back stronger. He will be back hungrier, and he will be a big part in the future of this club. It’s important that not only us as a group of players, but us as a club rally around Lyndon. That includes you. The messages of well wishing, the words of encouragement and support all help throughout this first phase when he can do little rehab or work. Believe me Lyndon is as mentally strong as they come. We all wish him a speedy recovery and me and the boys will be doing everything we can to help get him back playing again injury free.

News has also broke recently that Jackie will be making a move to Derry City. As I’m sure you are all aware, Jackie is a huge Derry fan and it would have been difficult for the club to deny him that opportunity to return. For us it will be a big loss both on the pitch and in the changing room. Jackie has played a big part in our success in recent times and he will be sorely missed. For me personally I will be gutted to see him go. I have played with Jackie for the last number of years both at Institute and Coleraine and we have become really good friends over that period of time. We travel together and his dodgy driving and singing in the car will be missed. He has been a brilliant servant to the club and I’m sure you will all be gutted to see him leave. However, he will play one last time at home to Cliftonville and I’m sure you will all give him the send-off he deserves and wish him well for the rest of his career.

With Jackie leaving the club have managed to sign Ben Doherty as a replacement. A fantastic addition in my opinion. I know you will all give Ben a warm welcome. He is also a Northern Ireland u21 international and has a huge amount of quality in his left foot. Ben is extremely versatile and can play in more than one position comfortably, which I’m sure we will see before the end of the season. I have known Ben for a number of years, again we played together at Institute before Ben signed for Derry. He has energy, technically is excellent and can get around the pitch extremely well. He will fit in to the changing room really well and I know all the boys are looking forward to meeting him. He is another young player with a bright future and I’m confident that you will all be excited to see Ben in a Coleraine shirt for years to come.

As 2018 draws to a close, I think there is an opportunity to look back at the wonderful year we have had as a football club. We have had some unbelievable experiences together and have created memories that will live with everyone involved with the club for years to come. For some of our younger fans, it was the first time to see the club being competitive in Europe and I feel that this year in particular, we gave a really good account of ourselves and had an opportunity to progress through the tie. It was invaluable experience that will hopefully set us up for future European fixtures. This year also saw us win the Irish Cup which was an unbelievable day for the club. It was a day that was the pinnacle of many of our players careers so far, but also the best day for so many of our young fans. To lead this club to an Irish Cup was something that I am immensely proud of. As I said then and am still adamant about now, this club should be in Europe, competing at the top of the league and playing in cup finals year after year. Let’s hope that we can kick on in 2019 and start a journey that can lead this club to being successful.

Finally, as players we would like to thank you for all your support throughout the year and wish you all a happy New Year. We appreciate how much you love your club and we are proud to represent Coleraine, hopefully we have made you proud to be a Bannsider this year. We hope the memories made this year can inspire you to continue to support us throughout 2019 and beyond.

As I said then and am still adamant about now, this club should be in Europe, competing at the top of the league and playing in cup finals year after year

As always, I hope we can get a big crowd for the game against Cliftonville. Let’s create a great atmosphere and push the boys all the way for three points.

Happy New Year,

C’mon the Bannsiders!

Stephen O’Donnell