Tuesday 26 May 2020

Retro - Carrick Rangers 1 Coleraine 2 (Northern Ireland Premiership - 2015-16)



10th October 2015

Carrick Rangers   1  Coleraine  2  (Northern Ireland Premiership)

Being something of a nerd when it comes to competing things, I finally cracked the Northern Ireland Premiership when I got to Warrenpoint Town in March last season (my last 0-0 draw incidentally). But within a month I had got a new name on my list courtesy of Carrick Rangers late surge in the promotion race from the First Division. I had hoped Bangor would do it due my connection with Trevor Best, the club chairman, but it was not to be, so one of the more traditional Irish clubs had made it to the top flight. They were in the top flight a few years ago but due to inadequacies with their Taylor’s Avenue ground, they played for a solitary season at Crusaders before being relegated again.

I managed to plan the trip to coincide with Derry City v Bray Wanderers the previous evening, and that in itself meant I could catch up with John Coyle and his family once again. It finished 3-1 and after the game we had a bit of a session at the Derry Oktoberfest!

I was relatively bright and breezy on the Saturday morning and managed to make my way to the Foyle Bus Station for the 9.30am bus back to Belfast, and courtesy of that I was well in time for the 11.45am train from Great Victoria Street to Carrickfergus. The forty minute journey was a pleasant one, travelling via Whiteabbey and Jordanstown, along the coast until the Whitehead bound train pulled into the old fashioned station at Carrickfergus.


As you walk out of the station you take a straight route in the direction of the sea front, passing the shopping areas and then finally appearing with the impressive sight of Carrickfergus Castle directly in front of you. The castle is set on the harbour and the marina is adjacent to it, it did strike me as a popular tourist destination, and after a brief walk round I decided to decamp in the nearby Wetherspoons for some pre-match refreshments.

Some Coleraine fans were already in the pub, and over the course of a couple of Heineken’s I was able to reflect on my visits to Northern Ireland over the past ten years. It all started at Cliftonville, and has since then take in some memorable games, such as the problematic  Linfield v Derry City Setanta Cup tie, the Coleraine v Ballymena United derby fixture, and of course the contentious Crusaders v Donegal Celtic game on St Patricks Day! Happy memories, I am never happier than when I am in Ireland, yet the feeling between being in the North and South is very different, albeit very hard to explain.

I tried another couple of pubs en route to the ground and then as I ventured along Taylor’s Avenue I spied the murals that bedeck the wall on the approach. Amongst team photo’s and shots of silverware being raised, I noticed programme covers from games against Aris Bonnevoie of Luxembourg and Southampton in the European Cup Winners Cup of 1976. This was perhaps Rangers proudest moment, the culmination of a victory over the mighty Linfield in the Irish Cup Final. Indeed the club refers to the ‘Spirit of 76’ in its history and a wall inside the ground is painted with the same slogan.


Taylor’s Avenue is a proper old football ground, and still retains traces of the seventies and eighties, notably with the perimeter security fencing that remains behind where the dug outs once where. Northern Ireland was no different to England in the aforementioned era, pitch invasions and crowd disorder were commonplace so segregation and security were paramount, however, add into that the backdrop of the Troubles in the North and what that bought to the equation, then we were dealing with a bit of a powderkeg!

The old stand is a fantastic structure, but it’s seen better days. The seats are old style school plastic efforts that have been bolted to the wooden frame, while foliage is growing in through the corrugated iron rear wall and also through the roof. Behind the far goal is come covered terracing that also doubles up as an away end when required, while the remaining two sides are just hard standing.

A small clubhouse exists just outside the turnstiles but it only sold cans, whereas if you wanted food it was the burger van that provided it. The welcome was friendly, it was a tenner to get in, and they did a pretty decent programme as well. As for the form guide, Coleraine were on a decent run and sat fourth, while Carrick after an indifferent spell were fourth from bottom.

The game went pretty much true to form on a glorious Autumn afternoon. Coleraine scored with a headed goal after just 30 seconds, but Carrick did equalise with a screaming effort from the edge of the box.


Coleraine got a deserved second goal from a rebound in the second half, and despite the visitors going a man down in the closing stages, Carrick had plenty of possession but couldn’t find a way through. I would have estimated the crowd at around 400, with getting on for half of those having travelled from the North West.

At the final whistle it was back into town for a pint, before the train back into Belfast and ultimately to check into the B&B just off of the Lisburn Road. I went to a couple of pubs on Lisburn Road and also grabbed something to eat, it wasn’t overly busy but then after Northern Ireland’s stunning victory over Greece a couple of nights earlier that meant they qualified for Euro 2016, I should imagine many are somewhat partied out!

So, Limerick completed the top two divisions in the Republic back in August, and now Carrick has completed the top flight in the North, so I guess that begs the question what next? Well I will come back to the North in March / April and take in a game along with another match at Derry on the Friday. I’ve got seven of the fourteen grounds in the First Division to have a crack at now, and the one that appeals to me most is Inver Park at Larne, or possibly Ballyclare Comrades or Loughall? I will have to see what the fixtures bring. Then of course what might change in the League of Ireland? 
Rumours suggest St Kevin’s Boys from North Dublin may join, but all will be revealed over the coming months.

That said, another great weekend, and as I settled with a final pint in the Bushmills Bar at City Airport on Sunday afternoon, I can reflect on the fact that it’s another great one for the memory banks, I’m sure there is a book in me somewhere!

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