Josh raring to go

SATURDAY’S derby clash with Ballymena may have fallen victim of Covid restrictions on Boxing Day but the Bannsiders will still be in action…

By: Michael Anderson

Coleraine now make the trip to face Carrick Rangers in a hastily rearranged encounter (kick off 3pm).

Unfortunately, like last weekend’s meeting between the teams which ended in a hard fought 3-0 win, supporters will once again be unable to attend.

The Bannsiders, with three successive victories under their belt, will be out to continue their winning ways.

Josh Carson, now recovered from a knee injury, hopes to play a part against Niall Currie’s outfit.

And he believes Coleraine can carry on where they left off when they renew acquaintances this weekend.

“It’s going to be tough but we are building a bit of momentum,” said Josh.

“We’ve three wins on the bounce now and hopefully we can collect another three points.”

Carson has missed those three victories but is raring to go after an impressive start to the season for him personally.

“Basically it’s been wear and tear on the left knee,” added the versatile Carson, who returned to training on Tuesday and hopes to be included in the squad on Saturday.

“I had an operation for the cruciate ligament when I was a teenager and I’ve been playing games with it niggling me.

“The rest seems to have helped and it has returned to as close to normal as possible.”

With Ben Doherty sustaining a broken collarbone against Carrick, the return to fitness of Josh Carson will be a massive boost for manager Oran Kearney.

And ‘Carsy’ is keen to be involved again, especially after Doherty’s unfortunate setback.

“Confidence is coming back after some poor results.

“The first half against Carrick on Saturday was poor but I think that sluggishness was a result of coming out of another break and Christmas.

“It’s a good game to look forward to and hopefully we return with the points.”