Coleraine host Cliftonville on Tuesday night, with both sides now in an almighty scrap to make it into the top six of the Sports Direct Premiership and make it into the top six of the end-of-season split.
Dean Shiels’ Bannsiders’ occupy ninth spot in the table after what has been a disappointing campaign so far. Hopes were high last summer after the club moved to a full-time structure but results have not matched the early enthusiasm.
To add insult to injury they went down 2-1 to Dungannon Swifts after extra-time in Saturday’s Irish Cup fixture with manager Shiels admitting his side were just not good enough on the day.
After an upturn in results at the end of 2024, Coleraine find themselves without a win in three outings are only nine points clear of Carrick Rangers who occupy the relegation play-off spot.
In truth, they are unlikely to get sucked into a demotion dogfight, however, fans will be expecting to see a flourish of wins in the coming months to repay their faith, and that begins on Tuesday against a Reds team also stuttering.
Jim Magilton’s men are only three points and two places ahead of the Bannsiders but they can at least be encouraged by their performance at the weekend. The north Belfast team saw off a steely Glenavon 3-2 after extra-time, with Jonny Addis grabbing the winner.
They have also won three of their last four games and have a League Cup Final against Glentoran to look forward to next month.
Both sides have also finished the transfer window with signings. Coleraine have brought in defender Charles Dunne pending international clearance.
The 31-year-old joins the Irish Premiership club from St Mirren, where he made almost 100 appearances.
The Reds’ have gone even further afield, bringing in Australian winger Alex Parsons from A-League side Brisbane Roar.
The 25-year-old started his career with Western Pride and had a brief spell at Central Coast Mariners before joining Brisbane in 2020. He can play anywhere across the front-three positions and will be expected to take some of the pressure off top-scorer Joe Gormley.
One thing fans can be sure of on Tuesday night at the Showgrounds is goals. Both sides have been involved in games with at least three goals in nine of their last 10 outings, as it looks set to be one for the neutral.
Elsewhere, Carrick host Larne at Taylors Avenue, with Rangers’ not having won an east-Antrim derby against their rivals in 17 attempts.
Stephen Baxter’s side reached the last eight of the Irish Cup after defeating Ballinamallard United on Saturday but have not won in the league since November in a worrying statistic.
Sixth-placed Larne only managed a weekend draw at home to Portadown in the league, and their slim chances of competing with Linfield in the title race, appear to be almost gone now.
