Kearney eyes improvement

COLERAINE boss Oran Kearney knows his side will have to improve from last weekend’s showing if they are to pick up all three points at Mourneview Park this evening (KO 7:45pm)…

Danske Bank Premiership

Overview:

The Bannsiders registered a sixth successive win in the Irish Premiership last weekend as a second-half strike from Aaron Canning was enough to defeat a resolute Carrick Rangers at The Showgrounds. That win keeps Oran Kearney’s men in second place in the table – eight points behind leaders Linfield.

Glenavon come into the fixture after back-to-back meetings with Glentoran. The first would yield all three points as goals from Robert Garrett and Matthew Fitzpatrick turned the game on its head after Rory Donnelly had given the visitors the lead. However, Mick McDermott’s side would avenge that defeat just four days later as they celebrated a 3-1 success at The Oval.

Previous meetings:

The two sides met in a goal fest back in November as the Bannsiders led 2-0 and 4-2 but had to settle for a share of the spoils in Lurgam.

The Stripes would take an early lead at Mourneview Park as Stewart Nixon was on hand to head home Lyndon Kane’s cross but there would be a blow as Gareth McConaghie was dismissed for a tackle on Peter Campbell on 14 minutes.

However, Coleraine would double their lead on 18 minutes as Ben Doherty was on hand to fire into the net after Curtis Allen’s initial effort cannoned off the crossbar. In a pulsating first-half, Glenavon would draw level with two quick goals as Conor McCloskey fired past Gareth Deane, with Daniel Purkis also getting on the scoresheet as he met Michael O’Connor’s free-kick.

Remarkably, there would be a fifth goal before the interval as Kane went on a lung busting run and after he was brought down inside the box by Sean Ward, the referee wasted no time in pointing to the spot. The ball was slammed home by Doherty to make it 3-2.

Oran Kearney’s men would grab a fourth goal of the afternoon after the restart as Jamie Glackin pounced on a poor back pass and he squared the ball to Doherty who completed his hat-trick. However, the two goal cushion quickly diminished as Steven Douglas fouled Daniel Larmour inside the box and O’Connor tucked away the resulting spot kick.

The eighth and final goal of the contest would be scored by Glenavon and via a familiar source as Matthew Fitzpatrick was in the right place and the right time to stroke the ball past Deane.

Manager’s Thoughts:

“We are looking forward to another tough one at Glenavon on Tuesday night,” he said.

“To be fair to Gary, like us they had a tough-ish start to the season, but I think in the past couple of months they’re really hit good form and they seem to be in a good place at the minute.

“Anytime we go down there it’s tough, it’s always an exciting match, and I don’t think Tuesday night will be any different.

“We’ve got to do better than we were against Carrick if we want to get three points.”

Admission:

Supporters are not permitted inside the stadium due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

However, the fixture will be shown live and can be purchased HERE

A full instruction list for the stream can be read HERE

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