Coleraine are taking nothing for granted at Warrenpoint Town

Coleraine and Warrenpoint Town could not be further apart at present.
Coleraine manager Oran Kearney is expecting a tough test at Warrenpoint Town.  Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker PressColeraine manager Oran Kearney is expecting a tough test at Warrenpoint Town.  Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press
Coleraine manager Oran Kearney is expecting a tough test at Warrenpoint Town. Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press

While the Bannsiders steam ahead at the top of the Danske Bank Premiership, the border outfit are lefting propping up the division after a disastrous start to the season.

To date they have lost 14 of their 15 league games conceding 54 goals and scoring only eight in return.

Oran Kearney’s men are the polar opposite - they have yet to taste defeat, they scored the most and conceded the fewest.

The Bannsiders boss though will not be taking anything for granted when he takes his side to Milltown today.

“They have had a change of manager and he will be wanting a reaction and he will be working week by week to get it,” said Kearney.

“It was a tough game the day we beat them up at The Showgrounds and it will be no different on Saturday.

“Ideally we hope the performance is better with hopefully the same outcome.

“The toughest games in this league can come from any angle.

“People when they hear the result against Glenavon will probably think that is what should happen anyway.

“But if you watched the game it was anything but that.

“Warrenpoint will be no different. I always say to the lads it’s a clean script and a new day.

“The Glenavon game is history now but anything can happen in the next game.

“It’s up to us to bring the same to the table so we can go and get the same outcome.

“I thought we were sloppy at times against Glenavon and it wasn’t our best performance.

“We are in a results business though and the key thing is it’s another clean sheet and it’s another three points.

“I would like to think we’re honest. There are weeks when we will play well and I’ll be happy to wax lyrical about how everyone is doing.”

Kearney is hoping to see some light at the end of the tunnel in terms of injuries with several players hopefully edging towards a return.

“Stevie (O’Donnell) is not far away from hopefully getting back to jogging now,” said the Bannsiders boss.

“Josh (Carson) got a bang on the foot last week, thankfully there’s no break but there’s a bit of soft tissue damage.

“Adam (Mullan) opened up the knee last week with a medial strain.

“It was touch and go for him against Glenavon, but I made the decision on Saturday morning after I saw how much rain here was.

“There was no way I was putting him out on a heavy pitch because it would have been a recipe for disaster.

“Aaron Jarvis has been carrying an ankle knock for the last couple of games, that’s why we got him off as soon as we could so as we share the load amongst the squad.

“Ian Parkhill has been carrying an ankle injury for a couple of months so we’ve been using him sparingly.”

New Point boss Barry Gray says it will take him and his coaching staff time to get their ideas across to the group.

But he is adamant they will fight all the way to maintain their Premiership status.

“It’s all about myself and the management team trying to familiarise ourselves with a group of players we know nothing about,” explained Gray, who replaced Stephen McDonnell.

“We have only been in charge for a few weeks so we are still learning about the squad and a third of the panel are injured.

“Do we feel sorry for ourselves and make excuses and roll over? I don’t think so.

“That’s not my style and I don’t want it to be the players’ style either.

“They have got to embrace being in the top flight. You want to play and compete against the best players and you have to be thankful for that.

“Is playing the likes of the Cliftonvilles and Coleraines better than playing Championship football? In my opinion, yes.”