Matchday Guide: Crusaders

COLERAINE know European football will be secured for next season if they can beat Crusaders at Seaview this afternoon (KO 3pm)…

European Play-Off Final

Overview:

Coleraine reached the European play-off final after a 3-0 win against Glentoran at The Oval. Oran Kearney’s men would lead by two goals at the interval as Jamie McGonigle and Lyndon Kane found the back of the net, before McGonigle added his second of the evening with twenty minutes remaining. It marked the first time Coleraine won an end-of-season play-off clash.

Crusaders booked their ticket into the final as they swept to a 3-1 victory against Carrick Rangers at Seaview. The victory was aided by goals from Adam Lecky, Stewart Nixon and Ben Kennedy, with Danny Gibson replying for the Amber Army. The Hatchetmen have also never been in the final of an end-of-season European play-off.

If the game is tied after 90 minutes, extra-time and penalties will be used to decide the contest.

Previous Meetings:

The two teams met at the end of September at The Showgrounds in what would turn out to be a profitable day for the visitors. On 14 minutes, the Crues made it 1-0 through Philip Lowry as the midfielder saw his long-range strike nestle in the bottom corner following Adam Lecky’s cut back. As Coleraine made substitutions to get back into the contest, the Crues doubled their lead as Heatley headed the ball through to Ben Kennedy who ran through and calmly slotted the ball past Gallagher. The scoring would continue on 87 minutes as Lecky crossed the ball into the box that found the head of Daniel Larmour who converted from close range. The last action of the game action of match saw the Crues make it 4-0 through Jarlath O’Rourke with a strike just outside the box that flew into the top corner.

However, Coleraine would avenge that defeat by picking up all three points at Seaview in November. After a goalless first-half, Coleraine and Conor McKendry would make the breakthrough as Jamie Glackin and Andy Scott were heavily involved. The ball was worked to the in-form winger just inside the box and his near post drive fizzed into the bottom corner just ten minutes after the restart. Just before the hour mark, Andy Mitchell rolled his marker at the edge of the box and burst into penalty area but his low drive was tipped away by Johnny Tuffey. At the other end, the Stripes had Kieran Farren to thank as the big defender somehow headed the ball away from his own goal line as Paul Heatley looked certain to equalise. That intervention was even more important as the Bannsiders went further ahead on 77 minutes. A long ball forward by Dean Jarvis and was misjudged by Billy Joe Burns and latched on to by McKendry, who dribbled into the box and slotted the ball past Tuffey in the Crusaders net. On 84 minutes, McKendry almost went home with the match ball as his shot from an acute angle was palmed away by Tuffey, with Lee Lynch’s rebound being scrambled away on the line.

Last month, both teams would play out a 1-1 draw as the Bannsiders finished the contest with 10 men. After both teams would create half chances, Coleraine would take the lead from the penalty spot after Conor McKendry was brought down inside the area by Philip Lowry. The resulting spot-kick was lashed home by Josh Carson for his fifth goal of the campaign. Crusaders would make a bright start to the second-half and threatened on numerous occasions, including Ben Kennedy’s strike that cannoned off the crossbar. However, they would equalise from the spot themselves after Lyndon Kane was dismissed for bringing down Jay Boyd, with Jordan Forsythe making no mistake from 12 yards. The hosts would enjoy the lion’s share of possession and territory with the extra man but Oran Kearney’s side nearly stole all three points at the death as Jamie McGonigle’s low effort was turned around the post by Johnny Tuffey.

Just last month, Crusaders would leave the Ballycastle Road with all three points via a 2-0 success. With 20 minutes played, the Crues broke the deadlock through Daniel Larmour. A cross came into the box, the ball bounced and wasn’t dealt with properly, allowing Larmour to lift the ball over Rory Brown who was off his line. The last action of the half saw the Crues double their lead from the penalty spot courtesy of Jordan Forsythe who sent Brown the wrong way after a well worked piece of play by Ross Clarke ended with Adam Lecky being fouled. With three minutes played of the second-half, McKendry aimed an accurate free-kick just outside the box goalward which Tuffey made a last minute adjustment to push the ball by the post. The Bannsiders would have plenty of possession and territory after the break but the lack of killer instinct in front of goal meant Crusaders were largely untroubled.

Manager’s Thoughts:

“The task on Wednesday was to try and make four teams become two and for us to be a part of the two,” Kearney said.

“It’ll be no mean feat to go there and play against a Crusaders team who are renowned for their home form and how well they play at Seaview.

“I think we’ve shown on Wednesday night that on our day and we’ve said it all season, we are confident of going and hurting most teams in the league.

“Monday’s a new script, it’s up to us to go and start from scratch again to have a big push at it.”

Officials:

The match referee will be Tony Clarke.

The assistant referees are Stephen Donaldson and Kristian Hanna.

Ross Dunlop has been appointed as the fourth official.

Admission:

Coleraine supporters will require tickets for the contest which can be bought HERE.

The match will be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and available via the Red Button.

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).