Ruaidhri Higgins in call to Coleraine fans as he makes Irish League powerhouse assertion
Ruaidhri Higgins has called on Coleraine fans to come out in force and help the club realise its potential as they prepare for their biggest game of the season.
The Bannsiders are 90 minutes away from securing European football next season if they can navigate their way past Cliftonville.
Higgins, who is only a week into his role as manager at The Showgrounds, believes the supporters can help his side over the line like they did in Wednesday night's semi-final win over Crusaders and push them closer to becoming a "really powerful club" in the Irish League.
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"There's so much potential at this club,' said the Coleraine boss. 'There's a big fan base, we can grow it even further, and they have been brilliant.
"In difficult moments when we were coming under pressure [on Wednesday] they helped get us over the line and we need that. This could be a really powerful club if we get even more people in the gate and we all stick together.
"It would be a brilliant achievement if we could secure European football, we're playing against a really good side in Cliftonville, but we will be ready and looking forward to it."
Higgins may have only had a few days to work with his new squad but he saw enough in the 1-0 win over the Crues to be positive going forward.
'I'm delighted with the result, but I think you can look at the two halves in different ways," he said.
"The first half we played some brilliant football and should have had more goals...that's something we need to develop as a team, being more ruthless.
"The second half, we showed a different side, we stood up, we defended our box when we needed to, we looked a threat on the break.
"It's never going to be perfect for 90 minutes but all in all I'm delighted with how the players applied themselves and how receptive they've been."
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