To say that Coleraine have found the going tough this season would be something of an understatement.
At the weekend, a turbulent campaign arguably hit a new nadir when they were swept aside by Glentoran at The BetMcLean Oval, routed 6-0 with the hosts’ hat-trick hero David Fisher doing the bulk of the damage.
It’s piled on the pain for the Bannsiders who, since prevailing in a mammoth penalty shoot-out over Ballymena United in the BetMcLean Cup on November 7, have just a solitary win from a dozen outings.
And in being hit for six by Warren Feeney’s Glens, that demolition job also marked their sixth straight defeat, conceding 20 in the process.
Coleraine’s predicament is such that even their top-half place is under threat; after Glenavon overcame Carrick Rangers 2-0 at nearby Loughview Leisure Arena, they leapfrogged the Ballycastle Road establishment into sixth-place, while the Amber Army (eighth-place) and surprise package Loughgall (seventh-place) are also within a few points of overtaking them.
Difficult times for Oran Kearney and his squad, who have 29 points on the board with just eight games remaining until the split.
The former St Mirren boss, who returned for his second stint in charge at The Showgrounds in 2019, has been one of the most influential figures in north-west sport in the past decade.
He’s also guided Coleraine to success. Second-placed top-flight finishes in 2018, 2020 and 2021 are not to be sniffed at, while Irish Cup and BetMcLean Cup glory also count among a vast CV.
Those achievements are why many are vouching for Kearney and believing he can turn the tide – but it’s clear big improvements are needed as we enter the run-in.
He’s been backed at boardroom level as they bid to rise up the ranks. The arrivals of shot-stopper Rory Brown (Glenavon) and defender Jack Scott (unattached, last with Linfield), as well as the return of striker Jamie McGonigle (Derry City), were quality additions to a side aware that they must move up the standings as soon as possible.
Injury hasn’t helped the manager’s case, either. Premiership top scorer in 2022/23 Matthew Shevlin has missed chunks of this term, wing wizard Conor McKendry – one player who has taken the bull by the horns having hit a club-high 10 league goals in 2023/24 – has also been sorely missed when absent, and the same can be said of forward-minded midfielder Jamie Glackin.
Against Glentoran, neither McKendry nor Glackin were available, while Shevlin’s entry as a second-half substitute was his first appearance since he’d been forced off with injury nine minutes into a 2-0 defeat at Larne on November 17.
That’s not to excuse the amount of talent they have elsewhere, but having that trio available at the same time would be dearly welcomed by Kearney.
The 45-year-old, who helped St Mirren stave off the drop in his solitary season in Scotland in 2019, knows Europe is their primary goal – and it must be done through the league.
After Ronan Hale’s hat-trick in extra-time sent Coleraine packing in the Irish Cup Fifth Round at the hands of Cliftonville, they categorically know they are are fighting on one front and one front only.
And to harbour any hopes of moving forward on that front, it’s down to Kearney to show his mettle in a different way than he’s used to. He must galvanise his squad somehow, someway and build a head of steam; the formbook may make for bleak reading, but all is not lost yet.
Featured image from INPHO/Jonathan Porter.
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