Interview

Hoping to raise the bar

COLERAINE boss Oran Kearney admits he is looking forward to home comforts at the Bannsiders train for the first time on the new 4G surface this evening…

Kearney’s side have been on their travels for every competitive and non-competitive fixture this campaign but that comes to a halt as they welcome Ballymena United to The Showgrounds on Saturday afternoon.

Whilst the boss was full of praise for the facilities offered at the University, he hopes that training on the Ballycastle Road can give his troops a main base to prepare from.

“We are glad to be back at The Showgrounds for many different reasons,” he said.

“Right from the end of last season, which was the end of May or whenever it was, it just seems blur and we only had two weeks off to prepare for Europe.

“Pre-season has all been at the University and it’s simply been grab a pitch or wherever we can grab a grass or 4G pitch.

“We’ve trained at the University for years, it’s a brilliant facility and a great pitch but we train there during the week in the old pavilion.

“There’s other teams training there and you’re walking a big trail to get to the pitch, there’s other teams training before and after you.

“People are watching over the wire or when they’re walking their their dog and seeing us train, but with the way the league is going, we need to raise the bar.”

Kearney joked after the Linfield fixture that he has swapped the tactics board for a spell in design as the club targets ‘a fantastic facility’ for everyone connected with Coleraine FC.

“What hopefully we’ve done – all summer I have felt like Kevin McCloud out of Grand Designs – fighting with architects, builders and all that goes with it to try and get it right,” he added.

“We only get one crack at this, the way we work.

“It’s about trying to make sure that it’s bespoke and suits us and how we want to live there.

“It’s been tough from that point of view but I really hope on Tuesday night when the players arrive into it that they are delighted.

“There are still a few bits to polish and clean and tidy but a big crux of the work is completed.

“As a home and everything else it will be a fantastic facility.”