Coleraine's Ruaidhri Higgins on Conor McMenamin's Move to Glentoran

Coleraine boss Ruaidhri Higgins insists Conor McMenamin’s abrupt switch to Glentoran is “best for everyone” after a whirlwind 10 weeks on the north coast.

McMenamin, who only arrived from St Mirren in June, stunned many by leaving Coleraine for the Oval before the transfer window shut, with midfielder Joe Thomson heading the other way to the Showgrounds as part of the deal.

The Northern Ireland winger later reflected that “it wasn’t meant to be” at Coleraine. Higgins, freshly crowned August’s manager of the month by the Northern Ireland Football Writers’ Association, didn’t argue.

“Sometimes in football and just life in general, things don't go as expected or according to plan,” he said. “It's certainly not a personal issue with Conor at all.”

The 31-year-old had spoken openly about the strain of not relocating from Downpatrick to the north coast. Family and personal matters, he stressed, lay behind his decision. The daily grind of roughly 75 miles each way – about 90 minutes on the road every day – quickly became a fault line.

Higgins understood it.

He called that commute “not sustainable” and revealed the pair had been in regular dialogue as the situation came to a head.

“Conor and I had regular conversations over the last couple of weeks actually,” Higgins said. “We've come to this conclusion and I think it's best for everyone.”

The move did more than tidy up a difficult situation. It reshaped Coleraine’s midfield.

Injuries to Mark Coyle and Rowan McDonald had left the Bannsiders light in the centre of the pitch. Thomson’s arrival plugs that gap and gives Higgins a very different tool alongside the likes of Will Patching and Dylan Boyle.

“Joe is so different to the players that we have. He plays with an edge and he has a goal in him,” Higgins explained, having previously managed Thomson at Derry City. “He's very much box-to-box and all-action, and I've worked with him before so I know what I'm getting.”

The pressure of deadline day didn’t stop there. Coleraine also landed a statement attacking signing in Adam Brooks from Crusaders.

The former Celtic striker had mostly been used out wide at Seaview last season, but he burst into this campaign in style, hitting a hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Portadown. That performance only confirmed what Higgins already felt.

He’d been tracking the 22-year-old Scot for some time and sees a forward with serious upside.

“For not the biggest lad in the world he scores good headed goals, with his right foot, left foot, he can score from distance and inside the six yard box,” Higgins said. “He's got good awareness and so much to his game. I think if he was six foot two he would have never played in this league because he would be somewhere else.

“We see it as an investment and someone we can develop, and I've no doubt that Adam can kick on and once he establishes himself here, it wouldn't surprise me if he went on to another level in the coming years.”

Higgins remembers clearly the moment Brooks really caught his eye.

He watched him for Crusaders at Portadown last season and, as he put it, “straight away I really liked what I was seeing”.

“I know he's a brilliant boy and he played out of position a lot last year, but there's no doubt in my mind that he's a top, top centre forward,” he added. “He's very like a Robbie Keane sort of mould and that type of centre forward, and there's a lot I like about him.”

All of this comes against the backdrop of rising expectation at the Showgrounds.

Coleraine finished just three points behind eventual Irish Premiership champions Larne last season after a late surge, and the club’s investment and move to full-time football have sharpened the focus. The Bannsiders are now widely seen as one of the leading contenders for the Gibson Cup.

Their only league title arrived in 1974. A second would land as the club marks its centenary year. The symbolism isn’t lost on Higgins.

“To me it's trying to win the second league title in the club's history, and it would be extra-special if you could do it in the centenary year,” he said. “On a daily basis, I put myself under massive pressure and that's why we are here. We want to be part of a successful, ambitious club.”

For now, he is “very lucky” and “loving” life at Coleraine. The numbers back up the mood. His side are unbeaten after four league games, with three wins and a draw – that stalemate coming against champions Larne – and three clean sheets in the bank.

They head to Crusaders on Saturday evening at 18:00 BST with momentum and a refreshed squad.

“We're obviously really happy with the start, and we're particularly happy with the three clean sheets out of four, and we're scoring goals again which is pleasing,” Higgins said. “We're four games in, so we'll not get too excited, but the players have been fantastic and it's a joy to work with them and the staff on a daily basis.”

The squad has changed, the expectations have grown, and the centenary clock is ticking. Now Coleraine have to prove they can turn all that ambition into a trophy.