Tag: Coleraine
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Premiership title picture changed beyond recognition in 120 seconds… but twists not over yet
Have you caught your breath yet? Small moments can make the biggest differences. One goal or, in this case, two just seconds apart across two sides of the same city can change the entire complexion. Deep, deep into added-time, Linfield were shooting above Larne to the Sports Direct Premiership summit by a point as they…
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It’s been far from a classic season for Coleraine… but top-six place shows their resilience
Credit where it’s due – it’s been a turbulent campaign for Coleraine but, barring a miraculous five-goal victory for Carrick Rangers on Easter Tuesday, a top-six spot for the split has been secured and a place in the European play-offs guaranteed. It’s been far from easy, and the Bannsiders know to expect better from themselves…
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Registration debates are tiring… appeals should drive improvement to banish them for good
Irish League registration sagas. You’re always guaranteed one or two over the course of a season these days. The latest has just been resolved; in the Irish Cup, Ards lodged an appeal following their Sixth Round defeat to Institute regarding the eligibility of Oisin Devlin for the fixture and, as it happened, there was merit…
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Ambition of Irish League must be matched by Government with Sub-Regional release
After a two-year hiatus, the Northern Ireland Executive is back up and running – and the to-do list in respect of domestic sport is a long one. With preparations for the Euro 2028 Finals to account for that includes the redevelopment of west Belfast’s Casement Park, which is scheduled to host five fixtures at the…
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Improving Dungannon Swifts perfectly placed to launch shock surge into European Play-Offs
With just five rounds left until the split in the Sports Direct Premiership, permutations all across the league are being discussed ahead of a crunch climax. A three-team title race is now led by Larne, inspired to a 2-0 triumph over Loughgall courtesy of Scottish striker Andy Ryan’s brace on Friday night. That fired the…
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Five managers who could succeed legendary supremo Stephen Baxter at Crusaders
By Callum McFadden Stephen Baxter has announced that he is stepping down as Crusaders manager in the summer of 2024 after 19 years in charge of the club. Speculation will be rife in the coming months as to who may replace the man who is the longest-serving manager in world football at the moment. I…
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Callum Marshall’s senior West Ham debut cherry on top of a week of dreams for club’s NI cohort
It’s been a tremendous couple of weeks for the Irish League-bred cohort of youngsters at West Ham United, with a cherry on top arriving in midweek. On Tuesday night, there was a long-awaited first-team debut for striker Callum Marshall in the Hammers’ 1-0 FA Cup Third Round defeat at Bristol City. Despite being unable to…
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Europe is Coleraine’s last hope in 2023/24… and Oran Kearney must show steel to get them there
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…
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