Oran Kearney looks to build on midweek win at Coleraine

Ballymena United manager Oran Kearney makes a first return to the Coleraine Showgrounds as a visiting manager on Friday night, hoping to build on his team's midweek win over Crusaders.

Two goals from in-form striker Igor Rutkewski earned the Braid side a 2-0 victory over Crusaders, a result which sees them open a gap on the Crues at the foot of the Premiership table.

It's just a second win as Ballymena boss for Kearney, who managed 558 games for Coleraine in two spells over 12 years before leaving the club last summer.

His first victory, of course, came in the most recent derby meeting when United defeated their great rivals on Boxing Day thanks to two goals from Daire O'Connor.

"I'm looking forward to it (going back)," admitted the Cross & Passion schoolteacher following the win over Crusaders.

"Hopefully we get a good bounce off tonight and we just want to go into Friday with the same energy now.

"In the last four or five games our attitude has been very good and it's been down to moments in games that have gone against us in the past three or four.

"For us, it's about going and getting that same recipe again on Friday," he added.

It's been over five years since Ballymena United last won at the Coleraine Showgrounds, a Kofi Balmer goal earning the away team maximum points in October 2020.

Just 450 fans watched the game that night during the Covid era but many more will pack into the old ground on Friday night for an eagerly anticipated game.

"Since I've come in, the attitude, how they've trained, all aspects of it have been really good," continued Kearney.

"We just ran into a run of five games of carnage nearly between Linfield away twice, Larne, Glentoran – if this hadn't been played tonight you'd have been rolling into Coleraine – playing all of the full-time sides in the space of five weeks.

"We were edged out by a goal in each of those games and probably in three of those games we could maybe have got a draw.

"The signs were there, we just needed that bit of belief."