COLERAINE visit Carrick Rangers in back-to-back weekends as Premiership commitments are at the fore this afternoon (KO 3pm)…

SPORTS DIRECT PREMIERSHIP

Overview:

Coleraine picked up a late three points on Tuesday night as James Akintunde scored with the last kick of the game to seal a 2-1 victory against Portadown at The Showgrounds. Ruaidhri Higgins’ men had fallen behind via Josh Ukek’s finish but equalised through Joel Cooper’s finish, before Akintunde had the final say. The Bannsiders remained second in the Premiership standings and travel to Taylors Avenue a week on after their Irish Cup victory against the Amber Army.

Carrick responded to their aforementioned Irish Cup loss to Coleraine by securing a home win against Glenavon. After the game survived a pitch inspection, Stephen Baxter’s boys collected a 2-1 victory as Paul Heatley and Luke McCullough got on the scoresheet. Carrick have won their last five Premiership games and now sit sixth in the Premiership table.

Previous Meetings:

Coleraine and Carrick Rangers have met on three occasions in all competitions this term.

  • September 27, 2025 (SDP) – Coleraine 2 (Okoro ’44 mins & Cooper ’61 mins); Carrick Rangers (Waide ’26 mins)
  • December 6, 2025 (SDP) – Coleraine 3 (Dunne ’59 mins, McGonigle ’83 mins & Jarvis ’89 mins); Carrick Rangers 1 (Lecky ’28 mins)
  • February 7, 2026 (IC) – Carrick Rangers 1 (Lecky ’82 mins); Coleraine 4 (Wylie ’45 mins, Shevlin ’92 mins, ‘105 mins & ‘113 mins)

Assistant Coach’s Thoughts:

“We know going to Carrick is difficult,” Deery said.

“We are well versed in playing them…so we know it’s difficult.

“We want to keep this run going because we’re in a really good place ourselves.

“We’re excited for another challenge…but we’re really confident in this group and they have the credentials to pick up a big win.”

Officials:

The match referee will be Steven Gregg.

The assistant referees are George Argyropoulos and Kristian Hanna.

Mark Milligan has been appointed as the fourth official.

Admission:

Coleraine supporters can buy tickets for the fixture which can be bought HERE. A cash gate will also be in operation.

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).