COLERAINE and Crusaders do battle for the second weekend in a row as Premiership points are up for grabs this afternoon (KO 3pm)…

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Overview:

Coleraine reached the sixth-round of the Clearer Water Irish Cup after a 4-0 win against today’s opponents Crusaders last weekend. After a goalless first-half, Coleraine took advantage of Crusaders going down to ten men as Mark Connolly, Will Patching, James Akintunde and Joel Cooper all found the back of the net. Coleraine’s last Premiership outing was a 3-0 loss at Larne as the Bannsiders find themselves second in the table ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.

Crusaders will be without Brendan Hamilton for today’s game after he was dismissed in the 4-0 loss to the Bannsiders. The Hatchetmen announced this week that the recently retired Sean O’Neill has joined Declan Caddell’s backroom staff as first-team coach. Crusaders were 2-0 victors against Dungannon Swifts in the Premiership last time out and are currently 10th in the Premiership standings.

Previous Meetings:

Coleraine and Crusaders have met each other on three occasions so far in all competitions this season.

  • September 6, 2025 (SDP) – Crusaders 0 Coleraine 4 (Cooper ’20 mins & ’43 mins, Shevlin ’45+2 mins, McManus ’79 mins)
  • November 29, 2025 (SDP) – Crusaders 0 Coleraine 2 (Glackin ’17 mins & McGonigle ’90+6 mins)
  • January 9, 2026 (IC) – Coleraine 4 (Connolly ’49 mins, Patching ’65 mins, Akintunde ’67 mins & Cooper ’79 mins); Crusaders 0

Manager’s Thoughts:

“We haven’t done anything as a team to disrespect anyone and we certainly won’t disrespect Crusaders,” Higgins said.

“If you look at their last league game, they beat Dungannon who were the in-form team in the league at that point.

“Crusaders have smashing players…at 0-0 I think we were the team in the ascendancy but the sending off definitely had a big impact on the game.

“They had to try and come out a small bit after we scored so we were able to open them up.

“This is going to be a completely different kettle of fish and there will no complacency from us.

“We’ll give them the utmost respect as they deserve and we’ll do everything to try and win the game.”

Officials:

The match referee will be Shane McGonigle.

The assistant referees are Ryan Kelsey and Brian Wilson.

Declan Hassan has been selected as the fourth official.

Sponsors:

The match sponsor is Ballymoney Coleraine Supporters’ Club.

Ballymoney Coleraine Supporters’ Club and Justin Morrison have kindly agreed to sponsor the match ball.

The mascots this afternoon are Reuben and Seth.

The Man of the Match award will be sponsored by Holley Optometrists.

Admission:

Season tickets are valid for the fixture, although, match tickets can be bought HERE.

Crusaders fans will need tickets to enter the stadium which can be purchased HERE.

Due to a huge crowd 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).

Around the Ground:

The Club Shop will be open from 10am to 5pm.

Our caterers – Phat Events – will be serving food from around 1.30pm.

The McKendry Suite will be open from 11.30am, with the VIP bar and Viewing Lounge open from 1.30pm.