All roads lead to Ballymena

Coleraine captain Lyndon Kane is a veteran of derby clashes between Coleraine and Ballymena United but he was watching from the stands the last time the visitors won a Boxing Day derby at Warden Street Showgrounds.

The year was 2012 when goals from David Scullion and Curtis Allen secured a 2-0 win for the Bannsiders, under the watchful eye of boss Oran Kearney now, of course, in the opposite dug-out.

The last Boxing Day meeting at Ballymena was in 2023, when Coleraine led 1-0 at the break through Dean Jarvis, only for Johnny McMurray and Noah Stewart (x2) to turn it around for a 3-1 Ballymena win.

It's a day skipper Lyndon Kane doesn't remember fondly and he's keen to create better memories this time around.

"We were obviously disappointed to lose against Glentoran in the manner we did but we have shown already this season that we can respond well to setbacks," said the defender.

"We're a very close knit group and we've been working hard in training since that game at the Oval.

"There's no better game to respond in - a derby - especially on Boxing Day and we'll be looking to get back to winning on Friday," he added.

Last year’s Boxing Day clash ended 2-2 at the Coleraine Showgrounds. Ballymena led 2-0 at half-time thanks to an Ethan Devine double, but Cameron Stewart and Matthew Shevlin struck to earn Coleraine a point.

The visitors can take heart from the fact that they have won the last two league games at the Ballymena Showgrounds and they are unbeaten in their last four league meetings with Ballymena (three wins and one draw).

Adding intrigue is the return to the dug-out of former Coleraine manager Oran Kearney who enjoyed great success in two separate spells at Ballycastle Road.

The Ballycastle based schoolteacher is still seeking his first win as Ballymena boss and would no doubt love to achieve that feat this afternoon against his former employers.

The Bannsiders will have Ruaidhri Higgins in the opposite dug-out after the head coach and his assistant, Kevin Deery, were both successful in appealing the red cards they received at the Oval.

The stage is set, then, for a blockbuster game in front of a sold-out Showgrounds with both sets of supporters selling out their allocation.

Bragging rights - as well as an important three points - are up for grabs.