Shels' skipper joins Coleraine

Coleraine head coach Ruaidhri Higgins has spoken on a number of occasions about wanting to instill a winning mentality at the Showgrounds.

Well he's certainly done that with his latest signing - former title winning Shelbourne captain Mark Coyle.

The Donegal man skippered the Dublin side to League of Ireland triumph in 2024 and led the club into the league phase of this season's UEFA Conference League.

Now, he is the latest high profile signing at Ballycastle Road, signing a two and a half year deal after an undisclosed fee was agreed with the Tolka Park club.

"We are delighted because Mark will bring so much to the group," said a delighted Bannsiders boss Higgins.

"He's got fantastic leadership; he captained Shelbourne to winning the league title and qualifying for the league phase of Europe.

"He brings quality and a know-how but it's also about day-to-day behaviour and habits in terms of how he trains and conducts himself.

"He will help to build a culture here that eventually turns us into winners, so to bring Mark with that experience and quality is huge for us.

"When we got permission from Shelbourne to speak to him, we had some brilliant conversations and he showed a real commitment and is excited about what we are trying to build here.

"He's in his prime years for a midfielder. He'll bring a real drive, a real hunger and quality to the group," he added.

From Letterkenny, Coyle started his career at Finn Harps and had two spells at the Donegal side, which was sandwiched by a brief stint at Cockhill Celtic.

His final season at Harps saw him win the club's Player of the Year gong in 2021, before he was signed by Shelbourne in December of the same year.

Coyle's tenure at Shelbourne was a golden one as he captained the Reds to lift the Premier Division in 2024.

The 28-year-old also played a pivotal role as Shels qualified for the league phase of this season's UEFA Conference League, where he featured in all six games.