OK looking for springboard

COLERAINE boss Oran Kearney is hoping to gain some ground on Larne as the two sides battle at The Showgrounds this evening (KO 7:45pm)…

Danske Bank Premiership

Overview:

Coleraine failed to close the gap on the teams above them in the Premiership last weekend as they drew 1-1 with Ballymena United at The Showgrounds. A tale of two penalties would be the major talking point in the first half hour as Lyndon Kane netted one, before firing over a second. This sparked the visitors into life as Caolan Loughran headed home from Michael Place’s corner-kick on 37 minutes to level the scores. In a game played with a strong wind, both teams would hit the woodwork in the second-half as they had to settle for a share of the spoils.

Tiernan Lynch’s troops have won five out of their last seven fixtures in all competitions, including last weekend’s 2-0 success at Dungannon Swifts as John Herron and Navid Nasseri netted at Stangmore Park. The east Antrim side will face Ballymena United in the quarter-final of the Samuel Gelston’s Whiskey Irish Cup this weekend and currently sit fourth in the Premiership standings. The arrival of Lee Bonis would be the only addition at Inver Park during the recent January transfer window.

Previous meetings:

The two clubs met each other on the opening night of the season as the Bannsiders were the visitors to Inver Park. After Matthew Shevlin and Mark Randall threatened at either end, the hosts would take the lead just after the half hour mark as Kofi Balmer headed in from Ben Doherty’s corner kick. However, Coleraine equalised on 51 minutes as Lyndon Kane’s cross was headed into the net by Aaron Traynor and there would be a melee four minutes later after David McDaid’s late tackle on Traynor. On 68 minutes, Kearney’s men would take the lead as Conor McKendry’s free-kick was headed into the net by Matthew Shevlin. That advantage would only last five minutes as McDaid made it 2-2, and just when it looked like the game would end in a draw, the Inver Reds would pocket all three points as Doherty netted against his former club on 87 minutes, with Lee Lynch adding a late fourth.

In November, the Bannsiders hosted Larne under the lights in another game that had plenty of goal mouth action. Oran Kearney’s men would take the lead on 25 minutes as the ball presented itself to Jamie Glackin inside the box and the midfielder arrowed an unstoppable effort into the bottom corner. Despite the momentum of going a goal ahead, Coleraine would concede 11 minutes later through a once familiar source as Mark Randall picked out Ben Doherty who turned and finished past Gareth Deane. However, another former player would net against his former club as Conor McKendry would get in on the act before the half-time whistle as his strike deflected off Cian Bolger and into the net. The three points would be wrapped up for the Stripes a quarter of an hour into the second-half as Lyndon Kane rifled home a penalty after Matthew Shevlin was brought down inside the area.

Manager’s Thoughts:

“They have been there or thereabouts and we’ve been on their coat tails for a while,” he said.

“Obviously given the results this weekend they’ve gained a couple of points on us.

“The only way to reel in the teams around you is to get a result against those teams.

“For us it’s important we do that to try and close the gap between us and them but also it would be a nice springboard going into Friday night’s game.”

Officials:

The match referee will be Declan Hassan.

The assistant referees are Stephen Donaldson and Paul Robinson.

Jamie Robinson has been allocated as the fourth official.

Sponsors:

The match sponsor is Causeway Golf Centre.

AJ Shepherd and Derek Thorpe have kindly agreed to sponsor the match ball.

The mascots this evening are Riley, Kayden and Zac and they will have the honour of leading out the team.

The Man of the Match award will be sponsored by Holley Optometrists.

Admission:

Season tickets are valid for the fixture, although, non-season ticket holders will require matchday tickets for the fixture which can be bought online HERE.

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

Both sets of supporters are kindly asked to read the following matchday arrangements HERE.

If you are not feeling yourself tomorrow afternoon and you have symptoms which you feel are similar to COVID-19, please stay away from the stadium and think of others.

If you have access to a lateral flow/PCR test at home, we would encourage you to check yourself before coming to the game.

If you have been in contact with a positive case and haven’t yet been contacted by track and trace, please do not come to the game.

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