Coleraine go top with hard-fought win at Carrick
Coleraine go top with hard-fought win at Carrick
Sat, August 22, 2026 at 4:02 PM UTC
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Irish Premiership
Carrick Rangers 0 - 2 Coleraine FT
Second-half goals from Joel Cooper and Ben Doherty earned Coleraine a hard-fought 2-0 win at Taylors Avenue.
Cooper, Coleraine's leading marksman last season, opened his account for the new campaign with his side's opener 10 minutes into the second half before Doherty got his first of the season minutes from the end.
The result sees Ruaidhri Higgins' side leapfrog Glentoran to move top of the Irish Premiership and extend their unbeaten league run to 10 games.
Coleraine striker Matthew Shevlin passed up a great opportunity to open the scoring inside the first five minutes but he was unable to find the target from close range after good work from Cooper.
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The normally reliable frontman then missed another great opportunity midway through the opening half when he headed wide while unmarked from a Doherty cross.
At the other end, the visitors had goalkeeper Lewis Webb to thank for keeping the game scoreless.
First, he reached up underneath his crossbar to punch away a Jordan Forsythe header from a Billy Joe Burns long throw, before diving full length to his right to direct a Burns piledriver from the edge of the penalty area around the post.
Cooper had claims for a penalty waved away by referee Michael McKenna moments after the restart but the frontman picked himself up to open the scoring 10 minutes into the second half.
Dylan Boyle spotted the run of last season's leading goalscorer in behind the defence and Cooper did the rest, maintaining his composure to guide the ball under the body of onrushing Carrick keeper Nathan Gartside.
Half-time substitute Conor McMenamin stung the palms of Gartside as the Bannsiders pushed for a second which duly arrived four minutes from full-time.
Doherty picked up possession midway inside the Carrick half before racing clear and planting an unstoppable left foot shot high into the roof of the net past a helpless Gartside to seal the win.
Source: “AOL Sports”
