COLERAINE and Crusaders collide for the fourth time this season in all competitions as the Hatchetmen make the journey to the north coast this afternoon (KO 3pm)…
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Overview:
Coleraine weren’t in action last weekend after their scheduled game against Glenavon was postponed due to a frozen pitch at Mourneview Park. It means Dean Shiels’ men were last in action against Armagh City on January 4 in the Irish Cup. As a result, Dylan Boyle’s suspension from last weekend rolls into this afternoon, meaning he must sit out. However, the Bannsiders could hand debuts to Patrick Burns and Ronan Doherty following their moves to The Showgrounds.
Crusaders were eliminated from the BetMcLean Cup on Tuesday night after a 4-2 extra-time defeat to Glentoran at the semi-final hurdle. Declan Caddell’s men were also beaten in Premiership duty last weekend as Dungannon Swifts took all three points at Seaview. Crusaders – who are 8th in the Premiership standings – have added Rian Brown (Newington) and Josh O’Connor (Hibernian) to their squad in the January transfer window.
Previous Meetings:
Coleraine ended up empty-handed as the two teams met each other in October at Seaview. The hosts made the breakthrough on 23 minutes as the Bannsiders lost possession deep inside their own box which allowed Kieran Offord to pick out Stewart Nixon who made no mistake with an emphatic finish. Just after Connor Murray hit the top of the crossbar with an effort from the edge of the box, Coleraine drew level on 35 minutes. A crisp passage of play saw Jamie McGonigle find Dylan Boyle and the summer signing grabbed his first Coleraine goal by sending an effort into the bottom corner. After a slow start to the second-half, Coleraine found themselves behind yet again on 56 minutes after losing possession from their own throw-in. As a result, Jordan Stewart was played through one-on-one with Max Little and he made no mistake with a clinical finish. Dean Shiels’ men had chances to salvage a point that their performance at least deserved but they slipped to a 2-1 loss.
Coleraine suffered another 2-1 defeat at the same venue as the Bannsiders bowed out of the BetMcLean Cup. After a strong start, Coleraine took a deserved lead in the first-half as Connor Murray’s hanging cross was headed into the back of the net by Matthew Shevlin. Dean Shiels’ side were guilty of missing several guilt-edged chances after that and Crusaders punished as they drew level several minutes after the restart through Philip Lowry’s finish. Just when the game looked like entering extra-time, Crusaders had different ideas as Lowry netted a late winner to seal their passage through to the quarter-final.
Remarkably, Crusaders clinched another 2-1 victory against Coleraine on the Ballycastle Road In an entertaining first half, Jordan Stewart opened the scoring with a close-range header before Kieran Offord added a second after a defensive mix-up for Coleraine. Matthew Shevlin pulled a goal back in the second half, but Kyle McClelland was sent off soon after as Declan Caddell’s side held on for victory.
Head Coach’s Thoughts:
“We’d prepared all week to go to Mourneview and unfortunately the game was called off,” Shiels said.
“We reacted to that by getting a bit of work into the legs on Saturday to try and keep that rhythm without losing fitness levels.
“Hopefully we should be fresh now going into Saturday’s game.
“I think it’s just replicating the performances and hopefully we get the result on top of that.
“People are always looking for the outcome and result, which is the most important thing, but if you can hit a consistent level of performance, which we have done against them, then hopefully we can get three points this time.
“They’ve got good players, they are a hard team to beat and it’s going to be a difficult game, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Officials:
The match referee will be Ian McNabb.
The assistant referees are Paul Robinson and Shane Corrigan.
Ross Dunlop has been selected as the fourth official.
Sponsors:
The match sponsor is Ballymoney Coleraine Supporters’ Club.
Scott Smyth and The Pals Club have kindly agreed to sponsor the match ball.
The mascots this afternoon are Jack, Max, George, Joshua, Oliver, Tiago, Noah, Leo and Jack.
The Man of the Match award will be sponsored by Holley Optometrists.
Admission:
Season tickets are valid for the fixture, although, non-season ticket holders will require matchday tickets for the fixture.
Crusaders fans will need tickets to enter the stadium which can be purchased HERE.
Due to a good expected at The Showgrounds, we encourage both sets of supporters to arrive at the ground in good time HERE.
As ever, those unable to watch the fixture can follow the latest developments via the club’s official Twitter account (@ColeraineFC).