COLERAINE go in search of another three Premiership points this evening as Glenavon are the visitors to The Showgrounds (KO 7.45pm)…

SPORTS DIRECT PREMIERSHIP

Overview:

Coleraine returned to winning ways in the Premiership after a 5-1 success against Crusaders at The Showgrounds. In the second successive meeting between the two teams, the Bannsiders trailed at half-time through Fraser Byrden’s effort but responded to take all the points via goals from Joel Cooper (3), Mark Connolly and Matthew Shevlin. Ruaidhri Higgins’ men are currently second in the table ahead of this weekend’s round of fixtures.

Glenavon come into the fixture after a narrow loss to Glentoran at Mourneview Park last time out. The Lurgan Blues are currently bottom of the table but have signed Conor Falls (loan), Nathaniel Ferris (loan), Gavin Gilmore, Mikey Harkin (loan), Charlie Lindsay (loan) and John Mountney in a bid to climb the standings. Michael O’Connor’s side will be away to Cliftonville in the sixth-round of the Clearer Water Irish Cup.

Previous Meetings:

Coleraine and Glenavon have met each other on two occasions in the Sports Direct Premiership this term.

  • August 23, 2025 (SDP) – Glenavon 1 (McGovern ’71 mins); Coleraine 2 (Long ’43 mins & Shevlin ’90 mins)
  • November 1, 2025 (SDP) – Coleraine 5 (Cooper ’42 mins, ’51 mins & ’86 mins, Shevlin ’78 mins, Ives ’84 mins); Glenavon 1 (McGovern ’90 mins)

Manager’s Thoughts:

“They’ve beaten the likes of Linfield and Glentoran,” Higgins said.

“They also made life very, very difficult for Glentoran at the weekend. There was very little in that match and they have recruited well.

“They’ve signed good players and they’re now a different proposition to what they were earlier in the season.

“It’s an extremely dangerous game and one that we have to be fully, fully focused on.

“As I said, it’s a dangerous game and if we don’t approach it mentally and in the right manner then we can slip up.”

Officials:

The match referee will be Declan Hassan.

The assistant referees are Stephen Donaldson and Richard Hegarty.

Louise Thompson has been selected as the fourth official.

Sponsors:

Scott Smyth has kindly agreed to sponsor the match ball.

The mascots this evening is Oscar.

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.

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

The game will be streamed live on the BBC Sport NI website and available via the Red Button.

Due to a ground reconfiguration, both sets of supporters are urged to read the following admission information 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 12 noon to 9pm.

Our caterers – Phat Events – will be serving food from around 6.30pm.

The McKendry Suite will be open from 6pm, with the VIP bar and Viewing Lounge open from 6.30pm.