Higgins signs for Kearney’s side

Bannsiders boss Oran Kearney hailed new signing after he put pen-to-paper on a two-and-a-half year deal at The Showgrounds.

The ex-Derry City midfielder had his contract at Oriel Park cancelled by mutual consent on Monday before joining up with the Bannsiders.

Kearney is delighted to add the 30-year-old to his squad.

“Ruaidhri is a fantastic addition to our squad,” stated Kearney.

“He had agreed to stay on at Oriel Park for another season as it looked like Richie Towell would be making the move to an English club.

“That didn’t materialise so Ruaidhri felt he probably wouldn’t play as many games as what he would like this coming season.

“So he decided to move on and was very keen to come here, which is a major boost for us. He sees what we are trying to do here at Coleraine and he wants to be a part of that, which is fantastic for everyone here at Coleraine.”

Higgins, who made 40 appearances for Dundalk last season, is looking forward to his new challenge.

“Obviously it’s a tough decision and I leave Dundalk with a heavy heart,” he said.

“But I’m excited about the challenge at Coleraine.

“We have spent the last few days talking about this and Stephen Kenny was reluctant to let me go but we agreed.

“I can’t thank him enough for all he has done for me throughout my career and we have had some of the best footballing nights together.”