ONE of the highlights of the local football calendar takes place this afternoon as Coleraine travel to Ballymena United in the Boxing Day derby (KO 3pm)…

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Overview:

Coleraine were beaten by Glentoran last Friday night as late goals from Pat Hoban and Johnny Russell sealed a 2-1 win for the east Belfast side. The loss meant Coleraine were leapfrogged by Larne to the summit of the Premiership table, with the Bannsiders also suffering a blow with Dylan Boyle’s dismissal. Manager Ruaidhri Higgins and assistant coach Kevin Deery – who were also sent-off – will be in the dugout after their appeals were successful.

It is all change at Ballymena United as former Coleraine manager Oran Kearney is now in the dugout at Warden Street. The Braidmen have drawn one and lost one out of Kearney’s opening two games and currently sit 9th in the table. The Sky Blues will meet Linfield in the semi-final of the BetMcLean Cup, as well as Larne in the fifth-round of the Irish Cup.

Previous Meetings:

Coleraine and Ballymena United met each other at the Ballymena Showgrounds in October.

  • October 11, 2025 (SDP) – Ballymena United 1 (Kennedy ’58 mins); Coleraine 3 (Patching ‘2 mins, Shevlin ’42 mins & ’49 mins)

Manager’s Thoughts:

“It’s a game I think everyone’s looking forward to,” Higgins said.

“It’s a sell-out which is brilliant, shows what it means to our supporters and we want to send them home happy but we’ve a difficult task in front of us.

“It’ll be spine tingling walking out for the players on Boxing Day. That’s what you want but whilst we have to embrace it, we also have to play the game.

“We have to put in a good performance, we have to focus on what we’re there to do and that’s to pick up three points.”

Officials:

The match referee will be Shane Andrews.

The assistant referees are Brian Wilson and Shane Geary.

Louise Thompson has been appointed as the fourth official.

Admission:

Tickets for the game are completely sold out.

The match will be streamed live via NIFL TV HERE.

We would urge supporters to arrive at the ground in good time and respect residents and businesses in terms of parking your vehicle.

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