IN PICTURES: Back to school for Coleraine FC boss Ruaidhri Higgins and assistant coach Conor Loughrey

Ruaidhri Higgins spoke to the P5, P6 and P7 pupils of Coleraine’s Millburn PS in a morning assembly — alongside parents and guardians — before sharing his journey through professional football, offering insight into both the triumphs and challenges of his career as a player, coach and manager.

Furthermore, he offered his advice to the young pupils on how to achieve success in their chosen sport and encouraged parents with thoughtful guidance on how best to support their children in their athletic pursuits.

Ruaidhri also spoke passionately about his ambitions as the new Coleraine manager and outlined his vision for the club.

However, the highlight for many pupils came when he answered their questions, revealing that the best player he ever trained alongside was none other than Wayne Rooney — an experience from his time on trial at Everton as a 14-year-old!

Beyond the assembly, Ruaidhri took time to visit every classroom, meeting pupils and staff. Later in the morning, he was joined by Conor Loughrey, Coleraine FC’s new assistant coach, and together they led the school football team in a high-quality training session — an invaluable experience as the school prepares for the upcoming Doherty Cup final.

Ruairi McClean, teacher at Millburn PS, said: “Our pupils and parents thoroughly enjoyed having both Ruaidhri and Conor in school, there was such an amazing buzz.

“It is well known that Millburn PS has extremely close links with Coleraine FC and our school is packed full of loyal, young Coleraine FC supporters.

“All at Millburn PS would like to wish the new management team at Coleraine FC huge success in their time at the club.”