 | |||
| Full name | Coleraine Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Bannsiders | ||
| Founded | June 1927; 98 years ago (1927-06) | ||
| Ground | The Showgrounds,Coleraine | ||
| Capacity | 2,500 | ||
| Owner | Bannsiders Holdings[1] | ||
| Chairman | Henry Ross | ||
| Manager | Ruaidhrí Higgins | ||
| League | NIFL Premiership | ||
| 2024–25 | NIFL Premiership, 5th of 12 | ||
| Website | colerainefc | ||
 Current season | |||
Coleraine Football Club is a professionalNorthern Irishfootball club, playing in theNIFL Premiership, the highest level of theNorthern Ireland Football League.
The club, founded in 1927 hails fromColeraine,County Londonderry, and plays its home matches atThe Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white. The club won theIrish League title once (in1973–74) and theIrish Cup on six occasions, most recently in 2017–18. They are also the only Irish League club to have won two successive all-Ireland competitions, lifting theBlaxnit Cup in 1969 and 1970. The club share a rivalry withBallymena United.
The original Coleraine Football Club was founded in June 1927 originally calledColeraine FC at a meeting in the local Orange hall. The club was formed out of a merger between two local sides:Coleraine Olympic andColeraine Alexandra withJohn McCandless being one of the founders and original player / manager for the club. The original club colours were all white, hence the club's original nickname – the Lilywhites. The club secured its first trophy in the 1931–32 season, defeatingBallymena United 3–0 atSolitude to win theGold Cup.
In 1948, Coleraine reached its firstIrish Cup final, going down 3–0 toLinfield. 1953 brought another appearance in the final and another defeat, again to Linfield, this time by five goals to nil. The 1950s saw theCity Cup won for the first time (1953–54) and a second triumph in theGold Cup (1958).
In 1961, chairman Jack Doherty persuadedBertie Peacock to sign for Coleraine after he leftCeltic. It would prove to be one of the most important transfers in the club's history. In 1965, Coleraine won theIrish Cup for the first time, defeatingGlenavon 2–1 atWindsor Park, with goals from Shaun Dunlop and Derek Irwin. Coleraine thus gained its first experience of European football, againstSoviet outfitDynamo Kiev, becoming the first football club from the United Kingdom to play behind theIron Curtain. Coleraine also won the first twoBlaxnit all-Ireland cups in 1969 and 1970. Coleraine facedKilmarnock in the 1970Fairs Cup, and after a 1–1 draw in the first leg, the Bannsiders pulled off an historic 3–2 victory thanks to aDes Dickson hat-trick.
In 1972, theIrish Cup was won again, this time by beatingPortadown 2–1, with goals from Des Dickson andIvan Murray. TheHoly Grail of theGibson Cup was finally captured in 1974. Under the management of Bertie Peacock, the squad consisting of the likes of Des Dickson, Johnny McCurdy, Ivan Murray, Michael Guy and Vince Magee clinched the title ahead ofPortadown. Bertie Peacock resigned in 1974 and Ivan Murray and Johnny McCurdy took over the reins. Murray continued as manager until 1978 and during his spell in charge theIrish Cup was won twice more – both times againstLinfield. In 1975, it took three games before a goal from Jim "Chang" Smith in the second replay proved decisive. The 1977 victory was more emphatic withLiam Beckett, Des Dickson, Frankie Moffatt and Michael Guy scoring to give Coleraine a 4–1 victory. It was to be the club's last major trophy for 26 years.
In the 1980s there were two more cup finals, in 1982 and 1986, ending in defeats toLinfield andGlentoran respectively. For three seasons in a row in the mid-1980s the club finished second in the league behind Linfield, but in the first part of the 1990s Coleraine struggled. In 1995 they dropped into the First Division. UnderKenny Shiels, Coleraine won the inaugural First Division title and in its first season back in the top flight, won theUlster Cup and came agonisingly close to the title, being pipped late on byCrusaders.
After a poor start to the 1999–00 season, Shiels resigned and was replaced by Marty Quinn, who rallied the team to finish second in the league behind Linfield and reach the Irish Cup semi-finals and the Coca-Cola Cup final. The next 2 seasons saw Coleraine finish fourth both times – potential title challenges being ruined by inconsistency. In 2002–03, Coleraine ended the season in third place and reached their first Irish Cup Final since 1986. In the final, they facedGlentoran as massive underdogs as the east Belfast side were looking to complete a clean sweep of trophies. After an early strike fromGareth McAuley was harshly ruled out, Coleraine kept going and scored throughJody Tolan. Despite increasing Glentoran pressure, Coleraine held on and the trophy famine was over. The following season saw the club reach the Irish Cup final again, but this time it was Glentoran who emerged triumphant.
The club's well-publicised financial problems had already overshadowed much of the 2003–04 season (despite a substantial donation fromCold Feet actor and Coleraine fanJames Nesbitt) and at its end the club was forced to operate on a reduced budget, with several top players leaving. Despite this a top six finish was still achieved. The summer of 2005 saw more budget cuts and several big names leaving the Showgrounds, but this time the main concern for fans was the very future of the club. In August, theInland Revenue filed for a winding-up order against Coleraine due to debts of £1.3 million. The Friends of Coleraine, worked tirelessly to persuade the High Court to postpone the hearing to allow them to put together a business plan to show that the club could be viably run. The club were liquidated on 9 August 2006 after they were allowed to enter administration, and a steering committee was set up to run the new club Calver Holdings Ltd.
The club went on to defeatInstitute to win theNorth West Senior Cup for the 1st time. The club were incredibly allowed to stay in the Premier League and survival was ensured on the pitch, the Friends of Coleraine formally took control of the club and appointed a new board. In 2008 the club reached the Irish Cup final, but lost 2–1 to Linfield. Manager Marty Quinn resigned after that game and his successor, former assistant David Platt, led Coleraine to a fifth-place finish in his first season in charge.
On 27 March 2010, Coleraine narrowly lost on penalties against Glentoran in the final of theCo-Operative Insurance Cup. They also lost out to Linfield in the semi-finals of the Irish Cup. Despite possessing the two top goalscorers in the league, including 41 goalRory Patterson, Coleraine could only finish the season in seventh. Despite the arrival of much-travelled English strikerLeon Knight, inconsistent form throughout the first half of the 2010–11 season resulted in manager David Platt being sacked at the start of February. His replacement, Oran Kearney revitalised a struggling team and they climbed the table rapidly, again ending up seventh.
An overhaul of the squad over the summer saw Kearney put his mark on the club and the improvement shown in his first four months in charge then continued, with Coleraine performing well in the league and reaching the final of the IRN-BRU League Cup.
In 2012–13 Coleraine finished the season in 6th place after making the split five games previously.
In the 2015–16 season, after many average seasons, the Bannsiders hit title winning form, going on a winning run with it being halted after a while byLinfield. They started to fall away after that result, being knocked out of theIrish Cup by 3–1 byPortadown and finished in 5th place and lost the Europa League Play-off by 2–1 toGlentoran.
The 2016–2017 was a fairly good one for the Bannsiders with them currently sitting an impressive 3rd in the table and they also booked their place in the 2017 Irish Cup Final by beatingGlenavon 2–1 to reach their first final in nine years, where they lost 3–0 to the double winnersLinfield.
At the start of the 2017/18 season 'The Bannsiders' made a few new signings.Josh Carson, who came from Linfield originally playing for York City and Ipswich Town, signed for Coleraine as well as Aaron Traynor and Stephen O'Donnell from Warrenpoint Town and Institute respectively. They started their pre-season off well by beating Bangor City 3–1. They were then defeated in the Europa League first round qualifier by Haugesund from Norway. During the 2017/18 season, the Bannsiders went on an amazing run, losing once only toLinfield in theNIFL Premiership, finally finishing in second place, two points behind Crusaders. Although Coleraine did not attain the title, a sixth Irish Cup triumph was secured when they defeated Cliftonville in the final of that competition in May, thanks to the heroics of starlet Aaron Burns.
Oran Kearney left the club to take over atSPFL Premiership sideSt. Mirren in September 2018, and was replaced byDungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree, who guided Coleraine to a sixth-place finish and an Irish Cup semi-final. Following a failure to win the Europa League playoffs, McAree was sacked on 10 May 2019, having only been in charge for eight months. Kearney departed St. Mirren via mutual agreement to rejoin Coleraine as manager on 3 July 2019, citing family reasons as the main reason for leaving the Scottish side. Kearney settled back into his role as manager of Coleraine for a second spell. The summer transfer window of 19/20 caused some controversy with Kearney selling star striker Jamie McGonigle to Crusaders for £50,000, while Aaron Burns was also allowed to leave for free.Despite losing two key players, Coleraine started the season well, recording notable victories over reigning Champions and runners ups, Linfield and Ballymena respectively. With the club involved in a five way title race, the club opted to bolster their squad in the January window with the signing of Nixon from Carrick Rangers. In February 2020, Coleraine beat Crusaders 2–1 in the Bet McLean League Cup final to win the first major trophy of the season, with another two still up for grabs. Coleraine were second four points behind Linfield and in an Irish Cup semi-final until the season was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Coleraine still qualified for the 2020UEFA Europa League Qualifiers and were drawn against Slovenian champions NK Maribor, who played the likes of Chelsea and Sevilla in theUEFA Champions League a few years previous. Despite being massive underdogs, Coleraine won the game on penalties, sending them through to the second qualifying round, having defeated La Fiorita in the round previous to Maribor. The Bannsiders were drawn at home toSPFL Premiership side Motherwell and having been 2–0 down at half time, brought the game back to 2-2 and managed to hold 10-man Motherwell off until penalties, but the Scottish side progressed through thanks to goalkeeper Trevor Carson's heroics in the penalty shootout.
In the 2020–21 season, Coleraine once again demonstrated their competitive edge by securing a commendable second place in theNIFL Premiership. The following season saw them make a notable run to theLeague Cup final, narrowly missing out on the trophy. Despite facing stiff competition, they maintained a solid sixth-place finish in the 2021-22 league campaign, reflecting their consistency on the pitch.
Oran Kearney's side continued to perform steadily in the 2022–23 season, securing another sixth-placed finish in the league. Their appearance in another League Cup final highlighted their ongoing commitment to success, further solidifying their standing in Northern Irish football.
| Competition | Matches | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| Inter-Cities Fairs Cup / UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League | 29 | 4 | 8 | 17 | 28 | 72 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| European Cup Winners' Cup | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 |
| TOTAL | 45 | 5 | 10 | 30 | 47 | 127 |
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 362 |  Shakhter Karagandy | 2.500 |
| 363 |  FH | 2.500 |
| 364 |  Coleraine | 2.500 |
| 365 |  Sileks | 2.500 |
| 366 |  NSÍ Runavík | 2.500 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Source:[3]
Dean Shiels (1 Jun 2024 – 30 Apr 2025)Oran Kearney(2nd Spell) (3 Jul 2019 – 1 Jun 2024)Rodney McAree (14 Sep 2018 – 10 May 2019)Oran Kearney (8 Feb 2011 – 6 Sep 2018)[4] Aidy McLaughlin(interim) (30 Jan 2011 – 5 Feb 2011) David Platt (27 Jun 2008 – 1 Feb 2011)[4]Marty Quinn (6 Nov 1999 – 3 May 2008)[4] Tony Curley/Wes Lamont(interim) (23 Oct 1999 – 30 Oct 1999)[4]Kenny Shiels (26 Dec 1994 – 16 Oct 1999)[4]Felix Healy (9 Oct 1993 – 3 Dec 1994)[4] Tony Curley(interim) (10 Dec 1994 – 17 Dec 1994)[4]
Billy Silnclair (5 Dec 1992 – 2 Oct 1993)[4]Colin O'Neill (27 Jul 1992 – 24 Oct 1992)[4]Victor Hunter(interim) (18 Feb 1992/ – 25 Apr 1992)[4]Iam McFaul (17 Aug 1990 – 23 Jan 1992)[4] Frankie Moffatt(interim) (14 Apr 1990 – 28 Apr 1990)[4]Jim Platt (18 Aug 1984 – 6 Apr 1990)[4]Tony Curley (15 Jan 1983 – 24 Apr 1984)[4]Des Dickson (30 Jul 1981 – 8 Jan 1983)[4]Victor Hunter (28 Jul 78 – 20 Apr 1981)[4]Ivan Murray (10 Aug 1974 – 29 Apr 1975)[4]Ivan Murray/Johnny McCurdy (11 Aug 1975 – 22 Apr 1978)[4]Bertie Peacock (5 Aug 1961 – 9 May 1974)[4]Peter McKennan (21 Aug 1954 – 18 May 1956)[4]Willie Buchan (15 Aug 1953 – 9 Jan 1954)[4]Arthur Milne (19 Aug 1950 – 7 March 1953)[4]Isaac McDowell (21 Sep 1946 – 4 Sep 1948)[4]Ben Clarke (23 Dec 1939 – 13 Apr 1940)[4] John McCandlessJack McCandless(2nd Spell) (17 Aug 1935 – 25 Apr 1936)[4] Johnny Scraggs (18 Aug 1934 – 27 Apr 1935)[4]Willie McStay (25 Nov 1933 – 2 May 1934)[4] John McCandlessJack McCandless (20 Aug 1927 – 4 May 1933)[4]† Won by Coleraine Reserves
† Won by Coleraine Reserves[5]
The club has long been associated with the Protestant /loyalist side of the community and in 2024 the club was reported to the IFA league for playing sectarian songs in their social club.[6] An investigation suggested fans were also chanting anti-Catholic slogans.[7]
In 2022 it was reported that Coleraine supporters had teamed up with an Englishfootball hooligan firm to provoke violence ahead of a game against the predominantly Catholic supporters ofCliftonville club.[8]
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