Trio pen new contracts

COLERAINE FC are delighted to announce that David Kee, Steven Douglas and David Ogilby have all agreed one-year contract extensions with the club…

Boss Oran Kearney confirmed the experienced trio have extended their stay on the Ballycastle Road on Thursday night as the club’s preparations for the new season continue.

“We are delighted to have tied the three of them down to new contracts,” said Kearney.

“Davy (Kee) has agreed a permanent deal with the club following his loan spell from Linfield.

“He made a good impact during his first season and offers us something different to what we have here.

“He gives us vital physicality and also provides a wealth of experience.

“OG has also agreed another year, which is fantastic as he has had a great season on the pitch.

“He had one of his best seasons at the club and thrived in the way we went about our football.

“He really enjoyed the experience of the cup final and he sees the potential in this team and wants to play his part in it.

“What can you say about Dougie? He played 30+ games for us last season at 39-years-old which is fantastic.

“Obviously his experience is worth its weight in gold, but more than that he is still a great player. As long as he still feels good he will keep on going.”

Kearney has also confirmed that Neil McCafferty and Gary Twigg would be leaving the club.

“I had an honest conversation with Neil and as much as I would have loved to have kept him, I don’t think he would play the amount of games he would want to if he did stay,” he explained.

“He has to be playing every week at his age and I felt I had to be fair to him.

“I have so much gratitude for the role he has played here during his time at The Showgrounds.

“He had massive influence on the young players. Yes he was hard on them at times, but it was for the right reasons and he always helped them understand and develop in the game.

“Neil has played a huge role in the progression they have made over the last three seasons and the club is extremely grateful for it.

“Unfortunately things just didn’t work out how we had hoped for Twiggy.

“We saw glimpses of what he was capable of in training and we were so excited about what he could offer the team.

“Unfortunately a freak injury in training led him to miss the majority of the season.

“It was so disappointing for us all and I know Gary was really frustrated by it as he wanted to play more than anything.

“He was brilliant around the changing room, the guys all loved him and he enjoyed being at the club.

“I would like to wish both him and Neil good luck for the future.”