KYLE McVey talks us through his Coleraine XI from his playing days at The Showgrounds in a brand new series…

After making his breakthrough into the first-team, McVey would go on to make 215 appearances and score 19 times for the Bannsiders.

It is fair to say that big ‘Kyler’, who is currently in charge at Ballymoney United, played with a number of excellent players during his stint with his boyhood club.

After some difficult decisions, he talks us through the best Coleraine team he played with after electing a 4-5-1 formation.

KYLE’S COLERAINE XI

GK: Davy O’Hare

Davy was a great goalkeeper and one of the best in the division when I was there. He commanded his area with ease and it was relief knowing he was behind you.

RB: Stewart Clanachan

What can you say about Stewart? He had a fantastic right peg and really helped me when I made the breakthrough. The funniest man off the pitch but he made sure he did his stuff on it.

CB: Paul Gaston

Only one word to describe this man – a legend! Similarly to Stewart, when I joined up with the first-team, he helped me a lot and took me under his wing. The number of appearances he made and his stature in Coleraine’s history sums him up.

CB: Paddy McLaughlin

A great lad and we hit it off like a house on fire when he joined the club. Unfortunately, his goal in the 2008 Irish Cup wasn’t the winner. The jobs he has done as a manager shows you his football knowledge.

LB: Gerry Flynn

Gerry was there when I first started and I remember I made my debut as a left-back as he was unavailable. He spoke to me before the game and reminded me that I wouldn’t be here if Marty Quinn didn’t have faith in me and to be myself – that lived long with me.

RM: Stephen Carson

The best player I played with by a country mile – it’s as simple as that. The man had everything and it’s a pity that he didn’t win more in his career as he would have deserved it.

CM: Pat McAllister

I played with ‘Packie’ in the latter stages of his career but he was still a leader and very dominant. He helped me with his leadership both on and off the pitch. He’s still a legend in many people’s eyes and rightly so.

CM: Tommy McCallion

A complete work-horse. Tommy was non-stop and extremely hard to chase when you were competing against him. His professionalism on and off the pitch was exemplary and he was a big help to me in my career.

CM: Stephen Lowry

When Stephen first joined, he probably struggled to get into the starting eleven but the quality was there for all to see. He quickly transformed into one of the best midfielders in the league and he later went on to win it all with Linfield. He never seems to age as he’s still performing the goods at Limavady United.

LM: Stephen Beatty

He was a fully-established player when I broke into the first-team. Another player who had immense quality. He had a left-foot to die for and it was a close decision between him and Darren Cassidy.

FW: Jody Tolan

I still speak to Jody regularly and the wee man was quality. He held the ball up well and was never bullied despite not being tall. His match-winning goal in the 2003 Irish Cup final will always be remembered. He just edges out Darren Boyce.