FOOTBALL: Kearney ‘euphoric’ after dramatic win

“I’m euphoric, that’s the only way to describe it,” said the Bannsiders boss at the end.

“We were on such a low conceding so late on, particularly with the nature of the goal.

“Bur we are growing as a club so it was nice to see us step up one more time.

“I’m delighted for Stevie and the rest of the lads. We put in a big shift here last Tuesday night and probably deserved to go to penalties, but we didn’t get it.

“You look for your senior pros on nights like tonight and here the likes of Stevie and Curtis Allen are our senior pros, even though they are only in their early twenties.

“So I look to them to lead by example which they did along with Howard Beverland, who I thought was immense tonight.

“The last thing we wanted to do on a night like tonight in front of the cameras was to be negative, that’s why I went with two up top.

“I’m glad we won our battles and got the goals at the right time.

“Any goal is a good goal to me, but I thought ours tonight showed what we are all about.

Kearney’s mood was in sharp contrast to that of David Jeffrey who was seething at referee Raymond Crangle’s decision not to award his side a first half penalty.

“I’m bitterly disappointed as yet again we are talking about referee’s decisions,” said Jeffrey.

“If that isn’t a penalty then I don’t know what is. Peter touches the ball round the keeper and he is taken out. How the ref and his assistant don’t see that I will never know.

“Decisions like that cost games of football, there’s no excuse he’s 10 yards away from it.

“I’m really disappointed with the contribution, or should I say lack of contribution from the officials tonight.

“I’m very proud of my players though and you have to give Coleraine credit too for what was an anthralling game.”