COLERAINE and Larne do battle yet again as the Bannsiders continue their Sports Direct Premiership campaign this evening (KO 7.45pm)…

SPORTS DIRECT PREMIERSHIP

Overview:

Coleraine reached the Irish Cup final last time out after an extra-time win against tonight’s opponents last Saturday. After Matthew Lusty cancelled out Joel Cooper’s first-half opener, the match-winning contribution arrived with just seven minutes of extra-time remaining when Matthew Shevlin converted from Mark Coyle’s cross. The Bannsiders’ last Premiership involvement was a 2-1 success at Dungannon Swifts.

Larne’s sole focus will now turn to winning their third Gibson Cup title in the last four seasons as they lead the way by six points. Gary Haveron’s men tasted a 2-0 success in their last league outing against Cliftonville as Matty Lusty and Andy Ryan got on the scoresheet.

Previous Meetings:

Coleraine and Larne have met on four occasions across two different competitions this season.

  • August 10, 2025 (SDP) – Coleraine 1 (Cooper ’86 mins) Larne 0
  • November 25, 2025 (SDP) – Coleraine 1 (Shevlin ’90+2 mins); Larne 2 (Millar ’43 mins & Graham ’45 mins)
  • January 2, 2026 (SDP) – Larne 3 (Ryan ’74 mins & ’81 mins, O’Neill ’85 mins); Coleraine 0
  • April 4, 2026 (IC) – Coleraine 2 (Cooper ’13 mins & Shevlin ‘113 mins); Larne 1 (Lusty ’62 mins)

Manager’s Thoughts:

“I’ve a fair bit of experience about everything leading up to a cup final,” Higgins said.

“It doesn’t faze me at all but what I will say is that we have four huge league games between now and then.

“That’s our sole focus from now until the Irish Cup final.

“Larne are in the exact same position as us after Saturday…it’s not like we are playing a team who also haven’t played 120 minutes.

“They have tired bodies, we have tired bodies, so we have to go and do ourselves justice.”

Officials:

The match referee will be Jamie Robinson.

The assistant referees are Adam Jeffrey and Brian Wilson.

Ben McMaster has been selected as the fourth official.

Admission:

Coleraine supporters require tickets for the fixture which can be purchased HERE.

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

A bucket collection is being held with all funds going towards Players Against Dementia NI.

As ever, those unable to watch the fixture can follow the latest developments via the club’s official Twitter account (@ColeraineFC).