Riley to keep pushing for chance

COLERAINE defender Jay Riley insists being in and around the first-team squad is always a great experience after being named on the bench on numerous occasions this season…

The 16-year-old was the youngest player to ever represent the club when he appeared for the Bannsiders against Moyola Park in the North-West Cup back in 2019.

The Coleraine Grammar School pupil was an unused substitute throughout stages of the 2020/21 campaign and hopes to bank on those experiences moving forward.

“First of all, it was great to be part of the setup and it was great to be in and around Oran’s team talks,” he said.

“The environment was professional and the experience to be with the senior players was great.

“The players made me feel very welcomed and made it a better time in and around the first team.

“When I got the call up to the first team squad for the North-West Cup fixture against Moyola, I was shocked and quite nervous but once I got into the changing rooms with the players and Oran they made me feel relaxed and that settled me.

“I really enjoyed the game, it’s a pity about the result but it’s something I’ll never forget.

“I didn’t realise until after the match that I was the youngest player in history to play for Coleraine, so I’m very thankful for the opportunity and it’s great to be given the chance to play.”

Riley, who lives in the Harpur’s Hill area of the town, knows that another Coleraine native is the perfect role model to base his career on.

“I think my best position is right-back but I’m quite versatile with positions as I’ve played central midfield and right-wing,” he continued.

“It’s great to see Oran giving local lads a chance at the first team and that’s a great push for me and Lyndon Kane is a prime example of this because he shows that hard work can get you anywhere.

“However, I know that I have to knuckle down with the U20’s and get a good season, plenty of minutes under the belt and hopefully that leads to another call up to play with the first team again.”