COLERAINE are away from home for the final time in the Sports Direct Premiership this season as the Bannsiders visit Linfield this afternoon (KO 3pm)…

SPORTS DIRECT PREMIERSHIP

Overview:

Coleraine racked up their third successive league victory last time out after recovering from a two-goal deficit to beat Cliftonville at The Showgrounds. A poor start saw the Reds take an early 2-0 lead but the Bannsiders rallied to pick up a 6-2 success as Joel Cooper (3), Matthew Shevlin (2) and Senan Devine got on the scoresheet. Ruaidhri Higgins’ men find themselves third ahead of this weekend’s Premiership commitments.

Linfield were beaten 2-0 by Larne last time out as David Healy’s men remained fourth in the Premiership standings. The Blues have already secured trophy success this campaign after edging out Glentoran in the BetMcLean Cup, meaning they have a straight passage through to the final of the European play-off next month.

Previous Meetings:

Coleraine and Linfield have met each other on three occasions so far in the Sports Direct Premiership this season.

  • October 28, 2025 (SDP) – Coleraine 2 (Shevlin ’55 mins & Dunne ’82 mins); Linfield 2 (Fitzpatrick ’15 mins & Roscoe ’37 mins)
  • November 8, 2025 (SDP) – Linfield 1 (Fitzpatrick ’57 mins); Coleraine 1 (Shevlin ’90+1 mins)
  • December 30, 2025 (SDP) – Coleraine 3 (Cooper ’52 mins, McGonigle ’77 mins & Patching ’90+4 mins); Linfield 1 (McKee ’90+2 mins)

Manager’s Thoughts:

“Even though it hasn’t been their best year, and David (Healy) would admit that, they’ve still got a trophy,” Higgins said of Linfield.

“They’ll get our utmost respect this weekend. They’ve got a smashing team, smashing staff but it’s up to us to go there and try and pick up the three points to maintain the good form that we’re in.

“Windsor Park is a brilliant venue and if you don’t look forward to playing at venues like that, then forget about it.

“There’s a lot to look forward, but ultimately, there’s a game of football to be won and that’s what we’ll try and do.”

Officials:

The match referee will be Christopher Morrison.

The assistant referees are Adam Jeffrey and Kristian Hanna.

Mark Dillon has been selected as the fourth official.

Admission:

Coleraine supporters can buy tickets for the fixture which can be bought HERE.

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).