Star Sign

COLERAINE enter the quarter-final stage of the North-West Senior Cup as they face neighbours Limavady United this evening (KO 7:45pm)…

North-West Senior Cup

Overview:

Coleraine picked up their first three points of the campaign last weekend as they sealed a 3-0 success against Carrick Rangers at the Belfast Loughshore Hotel Arena. A first-half strike from Conor McKendry had the Bannsiders well on their way before Matthew Shevlin took centre stage by netting a brace. Oran Kearney’s side reached the semi-final of last season’s competition as they defeated Portstewart in the quarter-finals but were edged out by Dergview in the last four, who went on to lift the trophy against Limavady United.

The Roesiders have had a change of management in recent weeks as Andy Law is in the dugout for the Lough 41 Premier Intermediate side. United have won one and lost two of their three league games to date, with cup success against Maiden City and Dromore Amateurs so far this campaign. The Lims have also been drawn against Larne in the second round of the League Cup and will look to lift the North-West Cup for the first time since 2018/19.

Previous meetings:

The two clubs have met each other in pre-season action in recent years but the last fixture in the North-West Senior Cup was in 2018-19 as United put a young Coleraine side to the sword by netting five goals without reply. The Roesiders also beat Coleraine in the 2015-16 final as they registered a 2-0 win.

Manager’s Thoughts:

“It’s a chance for some young lads to impress and compete against a senior team,” Kearney said.

“It will also give us the opportunity to get some minutes into first-team players.

“We will be going there looking to get into the next round of the competition.”

Officials:

The match referee will be Declan Hassan.

The assistant referees are Joseph Mullan and Darren Hylands.

Admission:

Admission is via a cash gate with the price set at £7 adults and £5 concessions.

If you are not feeling yourself this evening 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).