Owens returns to Bannsiders backroom team

COLERAINE FC would like to announce that former player Paul Owens is set to re-join the club after a successful spell as manager of North-West neighbours Limavady United…

Just days on from the Bannsiders emphatic win over Cliftonville in the Irish Cup Final Kearney has been busy on the recruiting front as former player Paul Owens is set to re-join the club in a coaching capacity.

Owens is most notably remembered for his debut performance against Larne Tech Old Boys followed soon after when he scored 2 goals directly from corners to secure a 3-1 victory over Glenavon back in 2012.

Speaking exclusively to colerainefc.com Owens said, “Oran made contact with me a couple of weeks ago about joining the club in a coaching capacity, we spoke about it and discussed things but for me it was a no brainer.”

“It’s a great feeling to be back around the club and the Premier League again,” he said.

“Hopefully I can add something and maybe go one better next year and over the line by lifting the league title,” Owens added.

Having quit playing a few seasons ago, the Limavady man was named manager of his hometown club at the tender age of 32 something which Owens insists he will always be thankful for.

“I can’t thank Limavady United enough, they took a chance on me, I left Coleraine as a 32 year-old player and they took a punt on me and I’ll always be grateful for that,”

“It was great to manage my home town club and to have the success we did,” Owens said.

Still brimming with joy after lifting the Irish Cup, Coleraine manager Oran Kearney was full of praise for his latest addition.

“He’s a workaholic and has all the right attributes to a person I want to have at this club and I feel the he will be a great success in this role.”

“Paul has played under us he knows the club inside out, he knows how we work so there is a huge amount of trust there so when you bring all that together along with what has been achieved since he left the club and how he went about his business at Limavady United, I have been nothing but impressed,” Kearney added.

“My mind has always been to push on and I think compared to a lot of other clubs, I wouldn’t say we were light, but in the same stretch I always felt there was room for one more,” said Kearney.

“I feel that it is important to freshen up backroom staff as well as playing staff from time to time. It’s great for morale as it brings some fresh ideas and added enthusiasm.”